Escape
by depressedchildren
Summary: They were all trying to escape, whether it was from abuse, hate, war, fate; they were all trying to escape. Rated M for mature language, semi-graphic violence, and torture scenes in ch 15. No yaoi, maybe shonen-ai if you squint and tilt your head.
1. Prologue to Escape

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own, nor do I gain anything (but writing and editing experience) by using the plot and characters from these works. Naruto and and the Harry Potter series belong to their respective creators, editors, publishers, and companies.

_**Summary:**_ They were all trying to escape, whether it was from fate, war, grief, abuse, hate. They were all trying to escape. Rated M for language, and mature themes. Many Harry Potter spoilers for those who have not read the books, and spoilers for the Naruto series.

**A/N:** This is my edited work, thanks to hikagi, who is great and I've learned a lot about writing mechanics from. We have all of the prologue material edited and are working on the chapters with Harry in them. There are a changes, not a lot in this one, but more so in the other chapters. So revised chapters will be coming out. Thanks - depressedchildren

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><p><strong><em>Prologue<em>**

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><p>Charlus and Dorea Potter had a sinking feeling. The young boy they briefly went to school with - the handsome, charismatic, but wicked boy who gave them chills when they passed him in the halls - was graduating. They had a bad feeling about him. He was put into Slytherin - a house for the ambitious - for a reason, and the Potters both knew his ambitions were more malicious in nature than most would believe.<p>

The twelve-year-old that Charlus had met had a very dark mind. Charlus may be a natural legilimens, but he had no intention of looking into anyone's mind … he just could. His father explained that it was a common occurrence in their family, dating back to start of the Potter line in the wizarding world. His father also told him myths about their family, all of them circling around how their ancestors had fought and locked away ferocious tailed beasts. They were giant animals, demons some would say, with more magic than anyone could fathom. Of course it was all fiction, Charlus knew there were no such creatures in the magical world – he simply knew.

Yet Charlus now found himself wondering if he would ever get the chance to tell his coming child those family stories. It was not that Dorea was struggling much with the pregnancy, even though it has been hard on her. What worried him was that frightening boy they once knew. That boy, now man, was graduating from Hogwarts and it terrified them both. What was he planning? Dorea may have a gift for divining, but it could not answer that question specifically, it only gave her a feeling. During her last year at Hogwarts she would always receive a terrible sense of foreboding when in the presence of that boy. There would be a still coldness in the air, like death clung to the twelve-year-old she chanced upon in the school's halls.

In all, it was enough to send Charlus into the family vaults, looking at every scroll and book within its walls. He wanted some way to protect his soon-to-be family. Of course he had the Cloak but his family could not hide under it the rest of their lives. Besides, he knew how greedily Dumbledore looked at the cloak. Charlus would not be fooled by twinkling eyes or avuncular demeanors. Though Dumbledore is a powerful ally to have and a growing public figure, one should not follow his words blindly. Charlus picked up the subtle drops in conversations, and he caught glimpses of a lifelong dream floating on the surface of the professor's mind. Though the man had changed with the war against Grindlewald, some childhood dreams could not be so easily snuffed. Charlus knew what the family cloak was, but he had a feeling Dumbledore would be only too happy to take it from them, if only to "master" death.

Charlus had spent months pouring over these ancient texts, Dorea helping when her duties at the ministry did not interfere. It had been on one such night that they came across a peculiar type of parchment with strange symbols. The paper was rolled up like a scroll but seemed to be made of something much thinner than the parchment they were used to. When they held up the unrolled scroll to the light, the resulting shadow on the vault floor was a dull gray, and saturated by the light seeping through.

Dorea was well-versed in ancient runes, but these symbols were no runes she knew. In the end they figured it was some different language. They then went through the various language spells, trying to identify what this writing could be. If they had a speaker there they could cast a translation spell and all would be good, yet written languages took more to crack. One would begin by the root language family, then the sub-language family and so on until they came to the specific language.

However, there was no language the symbols narrowed down to completely. Several languages revealed characters within the text, yet then the connotation of the word seemed lost. It seemed that the scroll was some variation of the Asian languages. There was a predominant mix of Japanese, and Chinese, yet occasionally the root language family would change. When looking at the descriptions within the scroll, Japanese yielded the best results with the most cohesive connotations, and from that they were able to decipher the scroll.

It was the answer to their prayers; it was the escape they would need. And so they decided to leave soon after, departing the wizarding world they feared would be too dangerous for their family. The year was 1945, and it seemed the Potter stories weren't all myths.

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><p><em><strong>À suvire<strong>_


	2. Introduction 1 of 3

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own, nor do I gain anything (but writing and editing experience) by using the plot and characters from these works. Naruto and and the Harry Potter series belong to their respective creators, editors, publishers, and companies.

_**Summary:**_ They were all trying to escape, whether it was from fate, war, grief, abuse, hate. They were all trying to escape. Rated M for language, and mature themes, possibility of slash and few canon pairings. Many Harry Potter spoilers for those who have not read the books, and spoilers for the Naruto series

_**A/N:**_ This has also be looked over by Hikagi, who has really helped me improve in my writing and has poked lots of wonderful holes in the story that I have now filled. Enjoy part one of the 'introduction'. - depressedchildren

**Key: **

"_Dialogue" _opposite language of the world they're in. So English when in Naruto world, Naruto language when in the Harry Potter world.

_Text_ this is text, if a letter it is typed from the center

_Levi Corpus_ a known spell which is being cast.

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><p><em><strong>Introduction partie un de trois<strong>_

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><p>Charlus and Dorea smiled down at the infant in her arms. The small cottage was swathed in pale, spring light and the sound of wind rustled through the still bare trees. The crisp smell of foliage left over from autumns past and the sharp scent of new grass permeated the home. Birds chirped in the distance with the sound of cheerful children's cries. The baby looked up at his parents with foggy eyes, his gummy mouth opened slightly before closing. The parents' smiles broadened and Charlus reached down to finger the fine black hair that was already coating the infant's head. However, the peace they found themselves in was to be short lived.<p>

The two magical beings stiffened at a sudden ringing which came from a small brass device upon their dresser. Charlus shut his eyes in immediate response, his wife followed suit. The wards they had placed about a three day's walk from the village had been tripped by a human who they now were able to identify. It was a scout from another country, but by widening their search they found a host of humans, with a now familiar but peculiar power, coming toward them. The approaching battalion was still a good two days away, but when it arrived this little village would be razed.

"Mei, they're coming! Run to the village and warn them! They'll be here within two days!" Charlus shouted into the garden through the bedroom's window. He stood up to retrieve a stick from his pocket and began to wave it around the room. Using magic, he packed up what he could and shrunk the bags with another wave.

Dorea had felt this day coming for a long time, but they had hoped for more time. She cradled her second child tightly to her chest. "Be safe Mei, run with haste!" she called to her daughter who stopped in front of the window, dirt from planting marred her gaunt face.

"Iwa's approaching?!" she asked in horror before closing her eyes and searching the world around her for some answer. She received one when she recognized the foreign surge of energy coming from all directions not supported by Konoha. There was a distinct difference between the energies of Konoha ninja and warriors from the other countries, for each held their own unique underlying tones, like an echo of the environment the warrior grew up in.

Mei was fifteen, but living during a deadly war allowed her little chance for childhood except during the lulls between combat; like the lull they have had for these last few months. She was thin, a result from the recent food shortages and their attempt to keep Dorea healthy through the pregnancy. Her unruly black hair whipped around her in the chilled spring wind as she continued to sense her surroundings. She looked like a Black through and through. However, her new brother seemed to be taking after their father in all but his hair, the wild raven locks of a Black. At least she knew it would appear wild on her brother, just as it was wild on her.

With the ever-constant threat of war, Mei made sure she had a basic knowledge in the arts of the land thanks to retired or passing through shinobi. Thus she trained her body to defend her family, yet she also learned what she could from her parents about their family and how to calm her magic lest accidental bouts of magic destroy her and those nearby. Her parents explained that there was another world which they fled because of a possible war. The Potters, having already lived through one war in that world over the same issues, did not want their children raised in such a climate. It was ironic that the world they escaped to happened to be just as riddled with war; in fact, they were certain it was worse.

Mei was given provisions from her father; it was at least half a day to Konoha, perhaps longer since she was not a fully trained ninja. She began her run, urging her body to propel her forward with as much speed as she could muster.

Dorea was forbidden from leaving her bed; she had nearly lost the little one resting in her arms. She was forty now, but even the first pregnancy had been hard on her. Her body was almost too narrow for child bearing, and her doctor in the other world told her she should expect to have only one child. It was a shock she was pregnant again, what with the stress of the war, the food shortages, and her frame being inadequate to carry another child. However, it seemed the energy in this land helped her through by sustaining her own magic, which worked to keep her bones strong and the child healthy, if not small from the less than desirable amount of food.

The energy of the land was very curious. There was a wild energy in everything, even the air. There had been rumors in the Potter's home world of wizards in the past taking on the energy of nature to aid them when their own magic would not suffice or was nearly depleted. The early wizarding communities, much like the muggle communities, struggled to survive and this primordial magic in the world around them had helped them survive. However all instances of this phenomenon were in legends dating back to before Merlin. Perhaps…perhaps there was an untapped magic in this world that their world had lost as the wizarding communities evolved and expanded. The people in this world did not have magical cores, but chakra; a mixture of spiritual and physical energy. It was as if they could not feel the magic in the ground or trees, but still could manipulate the energy of elements, but the manipulated energy was spiritual not quite magical.

Charlus and Dorea had long questioned the lack of magical beings in this world when there was so much magic around them. They even wondered if Charlus's ancestors had magic to begin with or had developed it somehow. But now was not the time to contemplate the origin of magic, not when they could soon lose their lives here.

Charlus went out to warn his neighbors of the impending danger, so that they might decide what course they should take: stay and protect their village, or flee to Konoha while they could. They were a small village near Konoha – part of the country but not protected by the hidden village's walls – known for their abundant medicinal herb gardens and tea leaves. Should they stay, it would be to protect the village's livelihood and continue to supply Konoha with said herbs during the war. Those that would flee would most likely harvest what they could and take it with them to Konoha.

With Charlus's exit, Dorea was left alone to her thoughts. They would have to go home…she often consulted tarot cards and tea leaves, trying to find answers about the condition of her home world. She knew in her bones there was trouble there, even if it was not definite in her readings.

After coming to this world they came to several realizations: one, it was a violent world full of wars and death, more death than they had seen with Grindlewald's war; two, Charlus's ancestors were right to flee this world due to the aforementioned discovery; three, said ancestors had the ability to see into other people's minds, thus making them naturals for espionage and adjusting seals on the jinchuuriki they helped create; and four, the ancestors discovered the other world and through their vast and accumulated knowledge, they were able to teleport away from this war-riddled land but still keep in touch with the people from their home world. The scroll from the potter vaults had the magical incantation and even the seal to transport missives between worlds.

Charlus and Dorea taught their daughter what they could about communicating between the worlds, and hoped they would not have need of that ability. But a day later it seemed they would. Their daughter returned with a small battalion from Konoha behind her, but unfortunately Iwa forces had already snuck up on the village. Villagers and Konoha-nin alike were startled and overwhelmed. The small army sent from Konoha could do little to hold off the hordes of Iwa enemies from devastating the small village.

Charlus took his wife and son into his arm, before he ushered his daughter toward them and away from the conflict. He began the incantation to return to their world when the roof of their house was blown apart, the debris struck Mei just as the incantation was finished. She had let go of her family when she had been struck by the structural beams, and with a bright light and a puff of smoke, her family was gone.

_"We have to go back!"_ Dorea screamed, their infant son was crying with her. Charlus was panting against her, with his eyes clenched tightly closed.

He was drained of his magic, but worse, the anxiety of having waited months for the next round of combat to fall upon their village was finally taking its toll. He swayed and fell.

He had transported them to the old Potter estate. It was under a Fidelius Charm should they ever have had need to return home, and it was under such a powerful charm because they feared if it was learned the house was abandoned it may be used by nefarious beings as a safe house. As far as Charlus knew, no one knew of the place but Dumbledore, which ensure their home would not fall to foul hands. The aged man was the Secret Keeper, for who better to keep a location safe than the man who single handedly bested Grindlewald? He may be manipulative but he was still a good wizard, and his growing influence in the world could come in handy someday. As an added perk, Dumbledore would likely owe them a favor should they ever return and find he had used the vacant manner for his own purposes.

Admittedly, the couple did explain to the professor that they were leaving for an ancestral home and may not return. So it was to their marginal but unwarranted surprise, that Dumbledore did, indeed, take this as permission to use their large home as a headquarters for some "Order" he had created. They did not put it past the man, after Grindlewald's defeat he was likely to have acquired new, if not madder, enemies. In addition, now that Dumbledore did use their home; it was their way to aid in the war they were fleeing preemptively.

After her husband collapsed, Dorea found a dozen wands pointed at her until Dumbledore came forward with a shocked expression on his face. "My dear girl, you and your husband have come back!" he exclaimed with a minute pause after "husband", while motioning for someone to tend to the unconscious wizard.

Dorea was too worried for her daughter to feel angry with the professor. The heat in her chest was almost suffocating, but the hard lump in her throat was already accomplishing that. So much rage was currently directed at the Iwa-nin that she could not muster anything for the ever-assuming old man.

Oh Merlin! She felt her stomach twisting more and more with each passing second her daughter was absent. The building pressure in her head reminded her that she could not get air past the knot in her throat. She gasped and choked, sucking in deep breaths as, even to her own ears, a pitiful cry escaped her trembling lips.

She kept raking in air, but that only burned her chest further and knotted her stomach all the worse. She could not stop sobbing as she feared what the Iwa-shinobi would do to her precious girl. Would they kill her or…or worse! She sobbed into her baby boy's head, possibly her only child left.

Her breath caught at the thought while her stomach seemed to convulse and shoot bile up her esophagus. This was their only child left and they had not even named him yet! What kind of parents were they? They foolishly caused one child's death and loss of childhood by fleeing to a world they knew nothing about! Now, now they were too preoccupied with the war against Iwa to even name their new child. That war had robbed their daughter of her childhood, it had shattered their hopes, it snatched their daughter out of their arms, and now it had them neglecting to even name their remaining child!

"Come, come, dearie, you must have come from a raid!" a plump, sweet-looking witch soothed. She placed a warm hand under Dorea's elbow while her other hand made circles on her back. She escorted Dorea to her own sitting room, wary of the other woman's fragile condition and careful as she helped the woman sit down. "Those terrible Death Eaters, though I can't fathom how you got past Dumbledore's anit-apparation wards," the woman whispered the last part about getting past wards to herself.

Dorea was too distraught to fully question what the woman was talking about; who were Death Eaters? Her shuddering and choked breaths continued with her tears, until she was force-fed a calming draught. She gaged at the taste of the potion, somehow the concoction tasted rich and heavy. The liquid swirled around in her stomach uneasily, but acted as it should. As she calmed down, her son did too, his foggy eyes were staring up at her in confusion and still glistened with tears.

"You must forgive us for using your home as our Headquarters. I had tried to contact you, but the owls always returned my letters," Dumbledore explained, as he sat down in front of the woman. By this time Charlus seemed to be revived. He was helped into the room, whereupon entering he looked to his wife and stifled back a sob.

He read his wife's confusion by reflexively slipping into her mind, and wondered who exactly Death Eaters were? Were they Grindelwald's men? Had Grindelwald risen back to power some how? He turned to Dumbledore seeking answers, and his mind slipped into the other man's memories. He found the information he needed in the man's surface memories, and was pushed out soon after. Grindelwald was imprisoned and powerless, and just as Dorea foresaw, Tom Riddle had become Dark, and had made his first steps on his misguided path.

Charlus stumbled over to his wife, and caressed her face after falling to one knee. _"At least we have this one…" _he whispered in defeat as he placed a hand on the now sleeping baby. _"We can go back when my magic has been restored enough for the trip…I don't think I'll recover as quickly as I had before."_

Dorea knew what her husband meant; their world had so little magic within nature. In the other world the very air prickled with some nameless power, and they were happy to draw upon it to restore their magical reserves.

The people around the couple stared at them in confusion; what the hell had they just said?!

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><p>It was a week later when a war hawk came to the mourning Potters bearing the Namikaze clan symbol. They eagerly took the scroll, thus allowing the bird to vanish with a flash and puff of smoke. Only their daughter knew how to send messages between the worlds, thus their fears were alleviated, their daughter was alive!<p>

The various wizards around them looked startled, but the couple could care less.

_Mother and Father,_

_ The young Namikaze heir rescued me from the village. We had to retreat; the reinforcements would not have come in time. Iwa-shinobi are ruthless! There was so much blood…._

_ But there is some good news; Iwa backed off. I heard tale that the war will end soon, and that some form of peace will resume between Iwa and Konoha. In addition, the Namikaze boy asked to marry me. I don't know what else to do and he is sweet. He saved my life, and in these times one must take what good they can._

_ Please accept us. He is nervous and wishes to ask in person for my hand, but as you know, we have no other way to reach than through missives. I hope this reaches you well. _

_ - Mei_

The couple gave each other sad but happy smiles. Their daughter was still a child but the war had made her grow into the maturity of a woman.

The Potters had heard of the Namikaze clan before the war had started and they had seen a few during the war. The Namikazes were strong and kind, they were prepared to rescue any and all that they could from sites of conflict. Unlike the other clans, they had no blood-line abilities, or the egotism notorious in many other clans. They were well versed in seals and chakra control, though. Their present heir had many brilliant ideas and was an astounding tactician. He would protect their daughter and treat her well, of that, the couple was certain. However, Dorea did consult her cards afterwards, just to ease her mind.

They wished to send a reply, but Charlus had yet to regain enough magic to send an owl with their response and Dorea was still recovering from giving birth. Charlus had much to tell his daughter, for the week had been rather productive as they worked to figure out what they would do from now on. They named their son finally, deciding on James though it would seem strange to their daughter, but they planned to live in this world from now on. They also joined the Order of the Phoenix, which they were already partially a part of since their home had been made a headquarter. Their decision to join was pushed further along by their connections with their muggle-born peers, who they had perceived would go far in their world.

If the couple learned anything from the past and their time in the elemental lands, a new perspective could make a world of difference. How many Kages had stopped wars through a shift in their way of understanding, or had uplifted their country economically despite having no important familial connections to previous Kages or legends? Some of the greatest advances in their own magical world came through new, un-established wizards. One example was better hygiene, which was suggested by a muggle-born after the Plauge had struck.

Riddle, or as he now called himself, Voldemort was out to crush muggles beneath his heel, which through warped interpretation, included muggle-born witches and wizards. Yes, some muggle-borns had caused strife in the magical community through misunderstandings, most certainly when it came to magical creatures, but they also brought with them better forms of government. Some of the greatest politicians in their magical world had been muggle-borns. And though the muggles did not understand wizards or witches, and there had been many witch-hunts; the magical world had agreed to step away from them and live in their own peace. It was up-starts such as Grindlewald and Voldemort that ruined this peace and sought such destruction. They had their justifications – perhaps an experience of muggle cruelty, but that colored their whole lives and ruined their view of the world. Because of one anomaly all those who share their traits (a lack of magical background) must be eradicated. No, they could not and would not wait on the sidelines for another war like that to pass.

To Charlus and Dorea, it seemed pathetic that a few deaths distressed the people around them, though their stay in a constantly warring world had desensitized them. It was two months later when they received another letter from Mei. She had been married and the war was at a standstill, an unsteady truce was set in place. In addition to this good news, Dorea and Charlus discovered they were going to be grandparents.

At first they were shocked and disgusted. Their fifteen year old daughter, who had only just started to have a regular menstruation, was pregnant! She was supposed to be at a respectable age when she had children, not a child herself. Did she even know what sex was? They were holding off "the talk" until their daughter came to them with questions about sexuality or was seen kissing a village boy. Charlus and Dorea had been married rather young, but they waited until they were in a stable position financially, and socially before they even thought about trying to have children.

However, that world had rather primitive methods for birth control, despite their near magical medical techniques and intricate surgeries, for they focused on healing not preventing reproduction. The two young adolescents would not have known how to protect themselves when contraceptives were a hard-to-find commodity. Not to mention, Charlus and Dorea had never thought to teach their daughter contraceptive spells; Dorea had had a hard enough time getting pregnant as it was to spend any time thinking about them. Perhaps now that the war was at a standstill there would be advances in contraceptive methods in Konoha, once the population was stable again, of course. But since Konoha was a frequently warring country; the more soldiers, the better chance of surviving. Thus it was good for Konoha that their daughter was pregnant, in fact it was almost expected. This should not have been such a surprising outcome to the Potters, for most civilians married and had children young; Shinobi had children when they could.

They accepted it, even if they felt a bit sick over whole the ordeal. By this time Charlus was able to contact his daughter, he told of the state of their world and how her baby brother was doing. Every so often they would receive letters from Mei; she described with relish the changes she had begun to notice in her body, and she often delighted in telling little stories of their son-in-law. As the months went on, the missives became fewer and far between. Her husband had sent the last one, having been taught how to send the messenger hawk to the Potter's home world. The missive was filled with complaints of the baby pushing against Mei's bladder and moving so much it kept waking her when she slept. Mei also expressed her anxiety over having the baby and how the only thing to calm her was a nap in the garden behind the Namikaze home. Nine months since they had returned to the wizarding world they received another letter, sent by a Namikaze hawk with a black ribbon around its leg.

_Charlus and Dorea Potter,_

_ Mei went into early labor, but she was able to deliver a fairly healthy baby boy. He will be named Minato, with your approval. He has blonde hair which is dominate within the Namikaze clan, but he possess your daughter's eyes. He already shows great potential, his chakra reserves are large for such a young baby._

_ However, the stress on her body had been too much. The doctors said her frame was too small for the child and –_

_ After delivering Minato, she passed away. My condolences. Mei was buried in the Namikaze lot. Ginseng and flax was laid on her casket, those being her favorite plants. Forgive me, but I am unable to continue. _

_With my sincerest wishes,_

_ Your Son in-law_

The witches and wizards around the couple were startled by the bird's appearance again, but not as much as they had been when it first had appeared out of the blue nearly a year ago. Like most of the letters the Potters received from that ferocious looking bird, the couple smiled softly down at the paper. However today there was a small furrow in their brow when they first opened the letter. It would have been comical, how quickly their expressions changed, if not for the clear distress and fear that began to consume their faces.

The two Potters tensed at some point in the letter, Charlus swallowed audibly and his hands shook. His wife was wringing her hands, her eyes seemed to quiver in the room's light. A second later Dorea gasped and brought her hands to her mouth, a strangled sob came out, sounding suspiciously like "Oh Merlin!" Her husband raised one hand to his mouth, the other clutched at the paper hard enough to tear the peculiarly thin parchment.

Charlus seemed to have finished the letter and set it down numbly on the table. He swallowed thickly and breathed through his nose in some attempt to remain composed, however his eyes shimmered with unshed tears while he stared down at the blotchy and smeared characters. Their audience tried to ask what was wrong, but the couple could not hear them.

Dorea left the room crying to seek out her nearly one year old son. Charlus continued to stare down at the paper before him. He could see wrinkled and slightly darker circular spots on the parchment, a sign of water having splashed onto the paper and drying. If Charlus was to guess, those spots were tear stains. A smattering of them seemed to have landed on the page as the shinobi was writing about what the doctors had said. Charlus's mind was already conjuring up horrific ends to that unfinished sentence, imagining that the jerked brush stroke was a string characters describing a painful and difficult labor. Charlus felt tears slipping from his own eyes to land near where the young shinobi's had.

His baby girl was dead

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><p><em><strong>À suvire<strong>_


	3. Introduction 2 of 3

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own, nor do I gain anything (but writing and editing experience) by using the plot and characters from these works. Naruto and the Harry Potter series belong to their respective creators, editors, publishers, and companies.

_**Summary:**_ They were all trying to escape, whether it was from fate, war, grief, abuse, hate. They were all trying to escape. Rated M for language, and mature themes. Many Harry Potter spoilers for those who have not read the books, and spoilers for the Naruto series

**A/N: **This is the second part of the introduction, it's to give you a background of what's happening when we actually start the story in with Harry. Also, thanks should be given to Stella600 for pointing out corrections in the last chapter and in this one, thus making it easier to read. ALSO, Hikagi has also looked through this chapter and through her critics it has been improved. Enjoy! – dperessedchildren

**Key: **

"_Dialogue" _opposite language of the world they're in. So English when in Naruto world, Naruto language when in the Harry Potter world.

_Text_ this is text

_Levi Corpus_ a known spell which is being cast.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Introduction partie deux de trois<strong>_

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><p><em>"Father!"<em> a small child with dark, wild hair called. He was standing on the ceiling with a disgruntled expression marring his face. He ran along the ceiling, moving around the light fixtures as he sought out his father.

Grinning like the Cheshire Cat, he dropped down behind a man who was walking calmly down the hallway. _"Found you father!"_ the boy exclaimed as he jumped on the man's back.

_"Your brother-in-law taught you that, didn't he?"_ Charlus asked the six-year-old boy; his tone was warm but there was an air reluctant acceptance to his words.

The boy swung himself around his father's body like one might swing around a small but sturdy tree. He used his momentum to land a few paces from the man with a grace found in acrobats. The boy straightened out from his landing crouch with one jump, and a large smile distorted his features. He was nodding adamantly in affirmation to the question with his hands clasped in front of him in what could only be anticipation.

_"Well, now that you found me, I suppose it's time for bed,"_ the middle-aged man explained as he scooped up the young child.

The boy's built up excitement vanished at the word "bed" and a frown began to replace his smile. However, his brown eyes lit back up and his smile reclaimed his face. His renewed excitement and its source became apparent with his following question:_ "Will you tell me more stories about the bij__ū__?" _

_"I suppose,"_ the man sighed, teasing his son slightly while he walked along corridors toward the boy's room. It was a short walk, made shorter by the man's long strides. Soon the boy was giggling happily as he was dropped onto his bed.

All of the Order members left by this time. Their bi-monthly, randomly selected meeting, which happened to be at the Potter residency this time, was finally finished, and the next meeting would occur at another Order safe-house. Thus with no guests about, James was free to leave his room and play anywhere in the big house that he so wished. He never suspected what went on when all those "old people" showed up, but his father said it was pureblood politics in practice, and just having to learn about them from James's tutors was mind-numbingly boring as is. So James was happy to play in his room with his toys and the house elves while the old people visited.

Charlus plopped onto the bed next to the boy while he thought over which stories to tell. He had learned much about their family history from the Potter vaults, and now that he knew the Elemental Land language he could translate the scrolls with ease. The stories and histories within those scrolls were fascinating. There were not only spells like the one they found to transport them to the Elemental Lands, but also the original jutsu which sent their ancestors to the Wizarding world which had been hidden amongst other jutsus.

Perhaps tonight would revolve around family history.

_"Long before the Hidden Nations divided the Elemental Lands into countries, long before the first war, and long before the main clans were anything more than a few anomalies…there was the J__ū__bi and the Rikud__ō__ Sennin. The J__ū__bi was the most powerful demon in our,"_ Charlus cut himself off but quickly corrected himself_, "in the __**Elemental Lands,**__ and it ravaged the already war-torn world."_

_ "Father!" _James interjected, his arms crossed in front of his chest atop his comforter. _"I already know about the Rikud__ō__ Sennin, and the J__ū__bi!"_ the little boy exclaimed, the disappointed frown he wore made his father chuckle.

_"I know, and I will not go into much detail, however it is important to our family history,"_

_ "I thought the Uchiha and Sen" _James was cut off by his father shaking his head. James huffed, but did not go on with his question.

_"As I was going to say: our ancestors were his first followers. In fact, it was our unique mind abilities that allied us with him. By no means are we related to him or his descendants, __**because**__ we left before our clan could mix with the other newly formed clans"_ Charlus was once again unable to finish his sentence.

_ "But isn't the Yamanaka clan…" _James's question faltered at the frown his father was directing at him. James knew it was impolite to interrupt but he couldn't help it! Usually his father just talked about when the bijū were sealed away the first time by their family and - what would eventually become - the Uzumaki clan, however he was now talking ancient myths that everyone knew.

Charlus sighed, _"Yes the Yamanaka clan is an offshoot from our own. They took our ability down a different path as it evolved with other clans. Coming here kept our ability pure since there were no other bloodlines to interfere with ours, and the fact that occlumency helped protect our ability from some of its more negative side-effects our bloodline flourished without adaptation. Now…if I may continue with the story?"_ Charlus asked with quirked lips and a raised eyebrow. James's face flushed but he gave small nod to which Charlus chuckled and ruffled his son's hair.

_"Hmmm…"_ with a smile in his eyes Charlus turned to his son, _"Where had I left off?" _he asked.

_"Our clan was the Rikud__ō__ Senin's first followers,"_ James piped in quickly, which earned him a large smile from his father.

_"Ah...yes. Now, our innate ability to read minds consequently led us to understanding how the Rikud__ō__ Sennin sealed the J__ū__bi inside of himself. We could see the demon's cage and the seal that kept it at bay within the great Senin's mind. If we so wished, we could manipulate and shape the seal without sacrificing our souls; much like how a jinchuuriki can modify their own seals. …" _Charlus paused with his lips pursed as he contemplated this scenario. "_Well, I suppose if we succumbed to the bij__ū__'s will our soul would be destroyed, "_ Charlus mumbled to himself,_ "so we could risk our lives doing such modifications."_

Though Charlus knew nothing about the ninja ways and did not have any chakra to begin with, he had witnessed a jinchuuriki's seal for himself. There had been no midwife in their village when they had first come to the Elemental Lands, and so the couple had gone to Konoha for Mei's birth. He had run into Uzumaki Mito while he had waited for his family. He had briefly made eye contact with the elderly woman when he was transported into the woman's mind and had been brought before the caged Kyūbi. It was such a strange thing…he had felt as if something had been pulling him toward the flimsy paper seal, and all he would needed to do was lift up his hand to the paper over the bars and pull for the demon to be free. However he had retracted his mind before such a thing could happen.

Charlus blinked several times as he pulled himself out of his memories. His son was quietly looking down at his comforter, and fighting with himself over asking a question he seemed to desperately want to ask. With a deep breath, James overcame whatever inhibition had been holding him back from asking his question. _"Why would they look into the Great Sennin's mind?"_ he asked with wide eyes.

Charlus chuckled softly with a fond smile softening his face. He was glad his son asked this question, so often the boy would like to know what their clan could do but not what the consequences were.

_"If you unlock our clan's ability you will come to understand that it is impossible to __**not **__slip into another mind when your own has become open. With this open mind we can create powerful genjutsus but are also very susceptible to them. You will also find that if we are consciously making an effort to focus on our own thoughts we cannot enter other minds, hence why our clan were never much for fighting. I can only imagine how dangerous and disorienting our ability could be when applying it to a fight. Sometimes I find being in a crowd disorienting, but that is where occlumency comes in." _Charlus paused for a moment to see if James had followed him.

The father would likely repeat all of his several times when/if his son unlocked their bloodline. Unfortunately Mei never had time to unlock her mind, which in their family usually occurred during one's adolescent years. It also appeared that if the parent had not developed the ability there was no possibility for offspring to unlock the ability as well, which kept the bloodline limited to their family. Of course there were a few Blacks and Malfoys who had unlocked the ability, but their children had not which caused the line to cease in those families. Charlus supposed it came with being sensitive to one's parent's accidental intrusions. Charlus could remember feeling a presence in his mind when he was child and it only grew as he entered his teens.

Removing himself from his ponderings, Charlus was pleased to note James was wide-eyed. He often worried his son would unlock the ability and be unprepared for the backlash. It would be best to drill in the importance of the wizarding ways now, especially since his son was disconcertingly interested in his shinobi relatives and their ways. It often seemed the boy looked down on his father for being a wizard and not a ninja like his brother-in-law or nephew.

Charlus fixed his son with stern gaze, hoping he would pay close attention to his following explanation, _"Occlumency has saved our ancestors from going mad, which was frequent in the Elemental Lands. _

_ "James, by obtaining our bloodline our mind is open for all, thus any legilimens could see right through us with little effort. We can never keep a legilimense from our minds but we can keep them from our thoughts and memories through occlumency. Occlumency even keeps our own minds in side our heads."_ Charlus paused for a moment before his mouth dipped into a frown, _"Though making eye-contact will immediately put us into another mind,"_ he added, sighing.

James had a frown on his face as he processed the words. It seemed foolish for his ancestors to broach such a great warrior's mind, but they had no control over their abilities so that had to justify it. James really hoped he unlocked the family ability. To be able to know what others were thinking was something James couldn't wait to be able to do, but now he wasn't so sure. If he could see into anyone's mind, then they could see into his just as easily if they had any legilimency experience. It would be bad for anyone to know about their world, the Elemental Lands that is. Their ancestors must have picked up occlumency as quickly as they could.

_"Father, was that how our family made such good seals?"_ Charlus raised an eyebrow at the question before he understood what his child was talking about.

_"All jinchuuriki sealing requires a sacrifice to the shinigami, however we could alter the original seal if we were strong-willed enough. The first jinchuuriki's often succumbed to their tenants' will and ultimately released them, however our family enhanced whichever seal was initially on the jinchuuriki, thus the vessel was not overpowered by the demon or forced to take on too much of the demon's chakra too soon. _

_ "They had the seal visually before them to work with and so could make small corrections here and there without expending too much chakra or risking being overpowered by the demon. Often with fuin it is a large change that is made and the flaws in the original seal were often difficult to see once it was made. _

_ "Our family taught those that were willing to learn how to create better initial seals on the jinchuuriki, however, they had help from a precursor to the Uzumaki clan. And it was by working with the Uzumaki clan ancestors that we discovered how to leave that violent world behind. But that will be a story for another night,"_ Charlus stated softly as he patted his son's hand and was prepared to leave the room.

_"Please Father, I'm not tired!"_ James called; his brown eyes were wide in worry that his bed-time stories would be cut so short.

Charlus smiled and resumed his place on the bed, how could ever deny his son history about their family. In fact, how could he deny the boy anything? After losing Mei he was all the more precious. Of course they had their grandson, but who knew when he might pass on in that war riddled world. If James grew up a wizard they would not have to fear a sudden or gruesome death, though it was still a possibility it was less likely to happen in this comparatively peaceful world.

_"Very well,"_ the father began while he collected his thoughts. _"Our clan worked closely with the clan who made the first contracts with the summons. They watched with fascination as the other clan summoned gigantic toads and wolves and any other summon you could think of. It was seemingly impossible that such a large creature could disappear into nothing only to reappear hundreds of leagues away. This teleportation fascinated them, especially the toad summoning." _Charlus was not sure whether to chuckle or not at his son's amazed expression, but hurried on instead since the boy seemed to not be breathing.

_ "You may not know this, but the toads can do a reverse summoning with a human that has signed a contract with them. This means that a human can travel along the same path the summon had taken."_ The genuine amazement on his son's face delighted Charlus despite that the boy was amazed with ninja methods, _"Several of our ancestors signed contracts with summons and went through a reverse summoning. Though the travel was nearly instantaneous, they noted something peculiar in this passage._

_ "As they experimented with this form of travel, they discovered a world hidden away within this summoning tunnel. They looked into space-time techniques, which had allowed them to initially slow down passage-time through the summoning tunnel to see this other world. Their techniques became more elaborate as they prodded at this other world. Some of our ancestors who had already been driven mad by their abilities actually unlocked a way into going to the other world. The first was never heard from again, his body was most likely torn apart in the travel between worlds," _James gasped at his father's story, his brown eyes widened in a mixture of shock and horror, however Charlus continued with his story,_ "but the second one to try was able to come back after half a year. _

_ "This ancestor was much saner than he had been, and he told his clan members the peace he had seen in that other land. Our clan had been working ceaselessly to discover what that one insane clan member had accomplished. Now they knew they could travel between worlds and that they could live in a world that was not filled with the strife of constant war. The majority of our clan came to this world, the few that remained behind became the Yamanka clan or killed themselves to escape insanity."_

_ "So that's why the letters always come on birds?" _James asked with his head tilted to the side and his brow scrunched up in thought.

_"Hmmm….?" _Without meaning to, Charlus peered into his son's mind and discovered his train of thought,_ "Well, yes I suppose that is why. Something non-living cannot go through the same portal that a summon can, since it is meant to transport something living. Though we do not have to use birds, we could use mice or any creature really," _Charlus mused, smiling at his son's cleverness.

_ "Like a summon?!"_

Charlus frowned for a moment as he pondered this possibility, _"I am not sure since the summons are tied to the Elemental Lands which had created them. Perhaps if you ever obtain a summons you could test your theory?" _Charlus encouraged with a small smile. It was hard to see the boy cast his wizarding heritage to a place of low importance, but he would always support the boy.

James nodded his head in response but it was a slow and heavy movement. His eyelids sagged, they fluttered for a moment before he snapped them open. He felt so tired now and his excitement was melting away because of physical fatigue. He felt the bed shift as his father got off and James forced himself to keep his eyes open.

_"Father, when can we visit Minato again?"_ the question was followed by a drawn out yawn.

Charlus smiled wryly, for each night the boy asked the same question in hope that his parents might change their minds. The uncle and nephew got along famously, and whenever they came to Konoha the two boys got into much mischief. In fact, the first time they had come back to the shinobi world, James had been three but somehow got all of his and his nephew's toys out of their locked chest. It was accidental magic they knew, but their son-in-law did not know that and was convinced, in spite of the Potter's assurance that James exhibited magic, the toddler was a prodigal ninja that could pick locks with his chakra. The toddler did nothing to discourage his brother-in-law, and begged to learn more about his family and the other world. Since that first visit, the Potters had begun to spend summers there, explaining their absence as a vacation in France.

_"In the summer, as always Son," _Charlus explained as he kissed James's forehead, ceasing further conversation. James knew that was his good night kiss. With a sigh the boy snuggled into his covers as his father moved to the door way.

"James, you must start speaking in English. I am afraid you cannot become a ninja like your nephew," Charlus paused and shook his head at the sleepy glare directed at him. "You **will **be going to the wizarding school in five years," the boy scowled darkly but nodded his head in a stiff motion.

"You can still train with them, of course," Charlus stated from the doorway. This lightened the boy's expression and brought a smile to his face before he mouthed a thank you to his father. A yawn ripped from him again and his father _nox_'ed the lights with a wave of his wand.

Eleven- year-old James sighed in his seat on the red train his parents had **abandoned**him on. He pulled out some parchment and began to write a coded missive to his nephew.

The passing years had only made the uncle and nephew closer. During the summers they would sneak off and pull pranks on the other villagers, and they even had bouts of accidental magic helping them in their trickster ways. In the afternoons they would "play ninja" with the other academy kids and James even got to learn from the Academy while he was there. Though James was a little miffed that his nephew was already a ninja, when he would likely never become one officially, but Minato was James's best friend and vice versa.

Sighing, James began to explain, in exaggerated fashion, how boring and weak everyone was in comparison to the people of the Elemental Lands. He went on and on about how his parents just shoved him through a brick divider and onto the sleek red Hogwart's Express. He was about to tease his nephew about the chubby redhead he liked so much when a flash of red hair in his peripheral vision caught his attention. It wasn't red like the Uzumaki girl, but it wasn't a Weasley or Prewitt red either.

James set down his quill and examined the girl standing on the quay through his compartment's window. He could feel her energy from here; it was nothing compared to Uzumaki, but then again, Tomato was a jinchuuriki, but Merlin! This girl on the quay was powerful. Even if he could not see her energy like his father, he could feel the power beneath the surface like any ninja ought to be able to if their opponent was not masking their chakra.

He sought out her gaze, but when she was about to make eye contact, she turned away to the boy running up behind her. The two embraced and began to talk amiably. James was aware that he was scowling; a rather uncharacteristic behavior for him considering why he was scowling. Chiding himself, he turned away from the girl. She appeared to be a first year like him due to the lack of Hogwarts House decal on her belongings, which meant he could get to know her. The only problem would probably be that dark, thin, greasy boy following after her like a lost puppy.

Well, he couldn't tease Minato about redheads anymore, and Toma-Uzuamki gave one mean hit when James teased her about her weight. Never anger a female jinchuuriki; it was not worth the bruises!

With nothing to tease the blonde about when it came to the Kyūbi container, James omitted his usual taunts from his letter. Usually his letters ended with playful boasts; for though they were best friends, the uncle and nephew you were quite competitive. A lull in a conversation between them would be resolved in the proceeding fashion:

_"Neh, I feel the ground moving, Tomato must be approaching." _

_ "Shut up., Kushina-chan could kick your ass any day, James!"_

_ "Bah!"_

_ "Then I'll kick it for her!"_

_ "No way __**Nephew.**__ I excelled on the taijutsu portion of the practical class, so I can kick__**your **__ass any day!"_

_ "Yeah, well I'm a good three inches taller, __**Uncle**__! And you forget that I completed training ground five's obstacle course in five minutes. I have speed where you have strength!"_

_ "Yeah, but you're also forgetting that you fall for my genjutsu every time."_

_ "Huh?! When did you-"_

_ "Hahahahahahaha, a ninja never tells his secrets!"_

It would always begin with an insult directed at Minato's crush, and his nephew's spluttering retaliation. This would set up the joking mood for boasts and harmless jibes at the other's individual skills and talents. It was all in good fun, and rather juvenile, but it allowed both boys to relax and find a new start for a conversation or a spar.

Today, James decided he would brag about his genjutsu ability. Fortunately his nephew did not know how to make any like James was able to; otherwise the uncle would be in trouble. Though Minato often retaliated to this boast by rubbing in the fact James couldn't sense energies like he could, which infuriated James. How come he couldn't sense things like his father or nephew and why was it becoming more and more difficult to develop the ability past a basic ninja capability? Regardless, James was content with the sufficient amount of boasting he put into his letter.

With a smile, James signed the parchment and waited for the ink to dry. It was at this time that the door to his compartment opened. A haggard boy entered. He was pale with sandy hair and amber eyes. James thought nothing of it, except, that when they made eye contact he was transported briefly into the boy's mind.

He saw a cage before him with a vicious wolf growling at him from behind it. It was not unlike the jail the Kyuubi was put in, but the seal on the door was weak and in different characters than he was familiar with. James had yet to understand seals, for it was a complex and potentially dangerous study that Chūnin and above were allowed to begin without the presence of a fuin master.

James quickly pulled away from the other boy's mind before the other child could possibly notice the intrusion. James then began to scribble a post script to his nephew and copied the seal he had seen at the bottom of the parchment. Perhaps Minato could get his father or sensei to decipher it. James then sealed off his letter and stuck it into his empty owl cage.

"Do you mind if I sit in here?" the tired boy asked. James shrugged, and gestured with his hand to the empty seats. The tired boy gave a relieved yet small smile, and mumbled, "Thanks."

"No problem. I'm P" James cut himself off, closing his eyes and thinking before he spoke again; English was his second language and he often got jumbled up, especially when he had just been writing and thinking intently in the Elemental Land language. "James Potter," James then extended his hand toward the other boy. If the boy had a demon inside of him, whatever, James had "talked" with Kyuubi for an hour; it was quite pleasant when one knew the snarling demon was behind bars. At least death threats no longer have that great of an effect on James.

"Remus Lupin," the boy stated as he took James's hand hesitantly. His smile grew slightly after realizing James wasn't going to shy away from him. "Were you writing to your parents?" the boy asked as he got comfortable in the seat across from James.

James's eyes twitched slightly, his mouth dipped into a slight scowl. "No, I was writing to my best friend. He's going to Durmstrang," the dark haired boy replied, just barely keeping his annoyance from sounding in his voice. No one in the wizarding world knew about Mei or Minato, and James's parents drove home the fact that they must because then the wizards would ask where they were and how were they to explain another world existing?

Remus had the courtesy to flush in embarrassment. "Sorry, I've already seen five people writing letters!" the boy explained, which made James relax slightly.

"Sorry I…snapped. I just…I wish I was at Durmstrang with my friend, but my parents say "it's a dark school" and "Potters have always gone to Hogwarts!"" The boy rolled his eyes just as the warning whistle sounded and children were quickly ushered onto the train. Before long the noise on the quay was but a hum compared to the clamor in the train corridors.

"Oh," Remus mumbled but was drowned out by the ruckus. The train then began to roll in a jerking fashion while it picked up speed. Remus fidgeted in his seat when James continued to look out at the window and seemingly ignored his presence.

With an exhale Remus looked around the train compartment in an attempt to find something to do. Just then there was a rattle at their compartment door as a large boy entered. The large boy's eyes darted between the other boys and his knees trembled while he pasted his back to the door of the compartment.

"C-can I stay in here?" the new boy's voice quavered slightly. James could practically smell the fear wafting off the boy, and he wouldn't be surprised if Remus could too. Remus nodded quickly and patted the seat next to him. James resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He was a ninja in training, and ninja weren't supposed to express emotion, even annoyance.

James already knew why the boy was scared; he saw it in his beady eyes. Some pure blood, most likely Death Eaters in-the-making, snobs were trying to terrorize the large boy. In a way, he reminded James of an Akimichi…. Shaking his head, James introduced himself, the boy's eyes grew wide and he stuttered out his name.

"P-peter Pe-ettigrew," his voice rose up at the end, as if in a question.

Hiding his chuckle with a close-mouthed smile, James stated, "It's a pleasure to meet you," and extended his hand forward. Remus followed suit and introduced himself. Remus seemed much more comfortable than when he first entered the compartment.

Remus and Peter began to talk about their fears for the school year: "What if we get lost and lose our House points", "Could the ghosts possess you?", "What would they make us do for detentions?", and the big one: "How do we get Sorted?"

James's parents may have gone to Hogwarts but he too worried over these questions. Adults might talk about a prank or event that happened but seldom what happened during detention or how their peers reacted to the loss of House Points, thus these were the fears of nearly all first years. One may know the Houses, who the founders are and so on, but all parents and older siblings withheld these trivial answers from their children if only to laugh over it later. However, James had gleaned information from his reminiscing father when he asked how he would be sorted. James did not delude himself into thinking he could slip through all of his father's mental defenses. Of course Charlus let James see those fleeting images of the Sorting Hat and the detached voice whispering into his head, most likely it was practice for James with handling another's memories.

With a knowing smile, James laughed. The two boys immediately turned their attention to him with indignant expressions that quickly morphed into expectant looks when they caught the dark haired boy's smile. After a minute of staring, Remus growled, "Well?"

"You'll just have to guess. I had to figure it out for myself, why should I just tell you?" James asked with a cocky smirk distorting his features. However James amended his resolve when he noticed the two boys across from him looked like kicked puppies, "I'll give you guys some hints, okay?"

Remus and Peter lit up at the addition. Their posture straightened and they were smiling again.

"Do we have to do magic?" Remus asked excitedly.

Was it magic? James deduced from his father's memories that the Hat entered the wearer's mind and sorted through their memories to best determine their potential in each house. Nope, they weren't doing magic, the Hat was. James knew that if he did not answer soon, all their questions would be over what kind of magic they were to perform. The two boys were too anxious to wait much longer and would begin throwing out any type of magic they knew.

James came to his decision and shook his head quickly before specifying, "**You** do not do any magic," Peter and Remus shared a look before Peter asked the next question.

"Is it a test?"

James shrugged which caused the other boys to furrow their brows in thought. Remus looked to be thinking intently. James had not given a definite response, and by making brief eye contact James could see thoughts whirling around in the amber eyed boy's mind. It was dizzying and so he looked away to break the connection.

"Does someone use legilimency?" James looked back up at Remus but avoided his eyes, and gave Remus an appraising look before nodding slightly.

"Legilimency?" Peter questioned as he turned toward the boy next to him. Remus's face flushed and he looked down at the ground.

"It's a mind art where one can enter your mind and look through your memories," James explained for the other boy, though he too was curious about how Remus knew about legilimency.

James let down his mental shields a little and quickly found himself once more before the caged wolf. Above him floated a series of distorted images. A younger Remus was curled up in a ball and was flinching at every movement those around him made. These people were medi-witches and wizards - Saint Mungo's personnel, judging by their uniforms.

"We aren't here to hurt you Mr. Lupin, we are here to help you," one witch soothed, but the boy on the hospital bed whimpered and curled up tighter.

When another witch reached out to touch him in a calming manner the boy lashed out like a cornered animal.

"You must tell us what happened Mr. Lupin," a medi-wizard spoke this time, "We can't help you if you won't tell us what happened."

Remus continued to whimper and whine, even as the medical personnel moved away from his bed to discuss amongst themselves. Perhaps these witches and wizards thought the boy would not hear them but even in the memory James could hear their hurried whispers.

"Perhaps we should call a Legilimense?" one witch suggested, a frown marred her wrinkled face.

"You know one?" a younger witch asked incredulously.

"We've had several traumatized children in here before, back when Grindlewald was a threat," the older witch responded with her nose in the air.

"I believe our Legilimense from those dark times has passed on," an elderly medi-wizard stated to which his female colleague smirked.

"We had a few Hogwarts students going into their second or third year come here during that dreadful summer we were swamped, do you remember?" the smirking witch asked, and the old man nodded his head slowly. "Albus Dumbledore came to help his students so they would be fit for school," the elderly witch preened at her colleagues' surprised gasps.

"James?!" James blinked several times as he came back to his own mind and quickly re-erected his mental barriers. His head spun and his vision went in and out before he came back fully. He could feel his mind wanting to escape the shield holding it back, but he was still so disoriented.

"Sorry, what?" the two boys across from him looked at him with matching levels of concern.

"W-we've been calling your name," Peter stated, his words initially caught up in a stutter.

"Oh," James gave a sheepish smile his nephew often wore when they got in trouble for one of their pranks. "Got lost in thought," James stated with a light laugh.

The two boys settled back down and James slowly dropped his smile. After a moment James spoke again, "What did I miss?"

"Remus asked if Professor Dumbledore was going to use legilimency on us, and then we argued that Professor Dumbledore couldn't do that," Peter filled in James with minimal stuttering.

"Oh, no," James shook his head for emphasis while he smiled.

"See" Peter began quietly, but he was quickly cut off.

"I don't think he'd be allowed to use legilimency on his students," James voiced his thoughts. He knew Dumbledore was a legilimense since his father stressed James needed to know occlumency well enough to keep his memories of the Elemental Land from any legilimense before going to Hogwarts. This meant the Hogwarts's legiliemense was Dumbledore, especially when considering that the old man was the only one with whom his father had contact with on the Hogwarts faculty and had met enough to know the man was a legilimense.

Peter's small eyes widened and his mouth hung open. Remus's eyes, however, narrowed slightly, "I could have been throwing out a name," there was a touch of accusation in his voice. "Besides, how do you know what legilimency is?"

"Honestly?" James asked before shrugging, "There have been a lot of legilimense in my family and my father is a really good occlumense," Remus's brow only furrowed at James's explanation.

"Professor Dumbledore tried to use legilimency on your father?" James felt his breath catch in his throat at Remus's question. James could hear his pulse quickening in his ears, but he kept his facial expression relaxed – as much as an eleven-year-old could in such situations.

"Well, to Dumbledore my parents kind of vanished just before Grindlewald fell, and then they returned shortly after I was born. So Dumbledore didn't really trust that they were who they claimed they were, and that's how my father found out," James managed to explain in an easy voice. Remus relaxed and the matter was dropped in favor of figuring out how they would be sorted.

"S-so someone uses legilimency b-but it's not Dumbledore, and it probably can't even be a teacher, right?" Peter tentatively asked to which James nodded his head.

"Is it an object?" Remus asked after a short contemplative pause. James genuinely smiled and nodded his head once more. This other boy was very intelligent and connected the dots so quickly. If James was to guess where Remus would be sorted, he would put his money on Ravenclaw.

"Is it an artifact from the founders?" Peter asked cautiously, "It has to be as old as Hogwarts, right?"

James nodded to both questions which caused the boys to purse their lips in thought. However the contemplative expressions quickly turned into a stumped look. What artifacts did the founders leave that could enter their minds, in fact, what artifacts did they leave behind? They were at a loss but they did not give up. They began suggesting out different objects, like a chalice full of a potion that would sift through their memories and tell them what House they would go into.

In desperation they began listing less fantastic objects, and then in complete exasperation, Peter asked, "What is it, a piece of clothing?"

With a smile James nodded his head and left the two boys in shocked silence.

"It's a piece of clothing?" Remus asked incredulously. "How can a piece of clothing use legilimency?"

James only shrugged in response to the question, which caused Remus to sigh and Peter to gawk. The two boys across from James looked at each other briefly before slumping into their seats.

"Is it a robe?" Remus asked almost dejectedly.

"A cape?" Peter suggested with desperation in his voice. James shook his head, he found this rather amusing.

"A hood?"

"A hat?" James nodded, but the two boys did not seem to register the difference between a nod and a shake. They were so used to all their other guesses being shot down it didn't seem like they would ever figure out what would sort them.

"A shawl …wait you nodded!" Remus stated while he blinked a few times in disbelief. "It's a hat?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah, "James relished in the other boys' wide eyed looks. "I'm guessing the founders animated it, but so that it knows what each House looks for most in students. Then it digs into your mind and looks for the House where you have the greatest potential, based on what I said before," James preened at the astonished noises the other boys made when he finished his explanations.

Remus and Peter shared shocked expressions before laughing at their previous concern.

"Though it is done in front of the entire school," James added offhandedly, which made the two happy boys pale and lose their smiles.

Smirking, James realized this might not be all that bad. It would be less dangerous than the life of a shinobi, but he could still have fun. At least this way, he'd have lots of stories to tell Minato.

* * *

><p><em><strong>À suvire<strong>_


	4. Introduction 3 of 3

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own, nor do I gain anything (but writing and editing experience) by using the plot and characters from these works. Naruto and and the Harry Potter series belong to their respective creators, editors, publishers, and companies.

_**Summary:**_ They were all trying to escape, whether it was from fate, war, grief, abuse, hate. They were all trying to escape. There are many Harry Potter spoilers for those who have not read the books, and spoilers for the Naruto series as well.

**A/N: **This is the last chapter Stella600 has been able to beta, and Hikagi has done a lot to improve this chapter as well. I have learned a lot from the editing critics and I am very thankful to Hikagi. Please enjoy! Much love, depressedchildren **- **edited 2/9/13

**Key: **

_text_ is text

_levi corpus_ a known spell, usually a perversion of a Latin phrase

_"Dialogue" _the opposite language of the world they are in

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><p><em><strong>Introduction trois de trois<br>**_

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><p>Sirius Black was a nuisance at first. He was shocked that he had been sorted in Gryffindor, hell, the whole school had been in shock. How could a kid from a notoriously dark and Slytherin family <strong>be <strong>in Gryffindor? The kid received a Howler the next morning. Everyone could hear his mother shrieking about how he was going to soil the family name and magic. She went on and on about "filthy mudbloods this", "filthy half breeds that", then she proceeded to accuse him of being a dishonor to the family.

With the kid's wounded pride, he either snapped at everyone or acted too friendly. He just couldn't find a happy medium, but now that it was approaching All Hallows' Eve, the boy seemed to settle. It at least made James, Remus, and Peter's lives much easier.

James did not pester Remus about why the "wolf" boy spent certain nights in the hospital wing, but that did not stop Sirius and Peter from doing so. Minato had gotten back to James by this time as well. The bird carrying his nephew's letter seemed to startle many around James when it burst into being with a puff of smoke accompanied by a flash of light.

Minato explained that Remus's seal was in a different language but his sensei, Jiraiya, was able to decipher it. Apparently it was a flawed seal, but was similar in some ways to the ones used on jinchūriki. The flaw in this seal was that it would break once a month. James wanted to smack himself in the face! It should have been obvious after the first month; Remus was a werewolf.

It wasn't that big of deal, at least to James. He was acquaintances with Uzumaki, and she had a demon inside of her. But like with Uzumaki, it would be better not to bring attention to Remus's "condition," for the boy was kind to James and most everyone else; besides, who knew who would abuse such information. Everyone in the know in Konoha feared Uzumaki would be kidnapped for her tenant, but for Remus, his life could be ruined if word got to the wrong people that he was a lycanthrope. No, the best strategy would be to stay quiet. A ninja thought ahead, and Remus could become a good ally someday in the future, one never knew.

Though, on a lighter note, Minato commented on his lack of taunting. The younger boy seemed to miss the constant teasing. _What? No scathing comments about my "ginger complex?" Are you ill?_ Minato then proceeded to tease James about his love life, asking him if there was a fiery red head in his sights. And oh there was!

The girl was named Lily Evans, and she had been sorted into Gryffindor.

When James had reached the stool and had placed the Hat upon his head, he had immediately begun to push the other mind out of his own. However, he had reminded himself it was a necessary invasion of privacy and had relaxed his mental defenses.

"Hmm…" the Hat had whispered. "A lot of courage, a lot of cruelty," the Hat had muttered to which James had heard himself growl, and his face had contorted in a scowl. He wasn't cruel, and in reflection he still denied that he was! "Cunning too, so much cunning….Yet rash….not terribly ambitious except when in competition with your nephew, I see…" the Hat had trailed off as it was browsing deeper into James's mind, which in turn had caused James to shift in discomfort at the other presence riffling through his mind. It had taken all of the boy's might to keep his own mind in place with occlumency.

Who was the Hat to talk, it had glanced through James's mind quickly, and the eleven-year-old knew how little such a quick glance gave the viewer. The Hat could not have been able to see enough to judge the boy the way the Hat had been, but the Hat had continued on despite James's discomfort.

"Challenging, yes, challenging to place… However your Gryffindor attributes outweigh your Slytherin…yes, yes that is it. GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat had called to the Great Hall. Well, despite what the Hat had said, he now got to be closer to the powerful red haired girl he saw on the quay.

However, his first encounter with her had been less than savory… Lily Evans just might have a worse temper than Uzumaki. James could understand his nephew now. Though thankfully, Lily was on the smart and level-headed side of the coin compared to Tomato.

As James had thought earlier, her childhood friend seemed to be getting in his way. It wasn't James's fault the slithering Slytherin was so pathetic. That sniveling Severus was just asking for someone to "toughen" him up – which depending on the perspective it was looked at may or may not equate to physical blows and emotional or psychological harm. Hell, a few jinxes were nothing compared to the various chakra techniques James had been subjected to while sparring with his nephew.

Black was another problem. The boy had begun to hang around James, perhaps because he was the only other person from a well-known pure blood family in their House and year. James shook his head in disgust. The boy was like an energetic puppy. He had a puppy, a skittering rat, and a lycanthrope as roommates!

The only things James truly looked forward to were transfiguration class, and sending or receiving letters from his nephew. He did so at night and in secret. It was, after all, a family made technique. His father had taught him the technique when he had been nine and James could handle the strain the technique would deal to his body. Due to training his chakra he was able to do such a complicated incantation but it did wear him down for a little while. It would almost be easier to do the seal method if James knew how.

The more he learned in his classes, and connected it back to his scattered Academy training, the more James began to discover the differences between chakra and magic. Magic was a rawer energy, untamable but through some form of a median or intense and exhausting concentration. It was around him in their world, but it didn't interact with magical beings much.

James hypothesized that it may only interact with muggle children that would later become witches and wizards. He had no grounds to base this off of, but that he could feel their world's magical energy pulsing faintly from his muggle-born classmates when they cast spells. It was very faint though, and it didn't feel like chakra or the muggle-born's individual magic. He brought this up to his parents once but they asked why there were just chakra users in the Elemental Lands when something similar but much more powerful pulsed in the shinobi world.

It was curious. Magic made the impossible possible, much like chakra, yet they were both so different. Chakra was tied to one's health and stamina, whereas magic relied more on will than physique. Though chakra was from within like magic, chakra could manipulate what was around the user through an elemental connection of chakra, but that was only done by having an elemental type chakra to utilize and manipulate within one's body. Magic outside of one's body couldn't be manipulated, maybe one could draw the magic from around them inward, but it was nearly impossible to do anything else if magic would not interact back. It was all so fascinating. James had to admit though, the energy in their world paled to the energy pulsing throughout the Elemental Lands.

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><p>As the years passed, traveling back to the shinobi world became increasingly more dangerous, for another war broke out suddenly. Everyone had thought relations with the other nations were fine, but no! Minato was fifteen when the last remaining members of his clan died. He had developed frightening techniques under the tutelage of Toad Sage Jiraiya and together the two were formidable opponents that gave Konoha an advantage. By this time, Minato had also saved his red-headed love from being kidnapped by Kuma. So many of their forces were focused on the war that when the Kyūbi jinchūriki went missing Knoha were almost too late.<p>

From the brief missives his nephew sent, James understood that the younger teen was in the middle of most of the fighting. On a positive note, Kushina had finally accepted him in many ways, but to Minato the most important was her accepting him romantically. James was also informed that "Tomato" was no longer…that. It seemed she had developed into quite the looker; however, James was certain his Evans far surpassed Minato's Uzumaki.

James began to accept Black and found him to be a wonderful companion. Belatedly, he realized Sirius was like a darker colored and non-ninja version of Minato. However, their personalities matched up well and their mannerisms were quite similar. Perhaps it was their Black genetics, but the two had the same stormy blue eyes, the same wolfish smile, the same laugh… They both had the ability to be carefree one moment and down to business the next when it came to a precious person's safety. And their pranks! Both teens were out of the box thinkers, though Minato had to be if he wanted to master seals. After James's last visit to the Elemental Lands, it took all he could to keep from calling Sirius "Minato" when they met up on the train and began to plot pranks for unsuspecting students – mostly Slytherins.

Pranks, James and Sirius were not the only ones involved in them. Peter and Remus were wrangled in as the four of them spent more and more time together over the years. They became very good friends and all the more close after Remus explained his condition. They had studied endlessly on ways to help him through those tough nights. Then they found their answer in becoming animagi. They now shared an illegal secret, but they were also the school's most feared pranksters and tightly knit friends.

Besides pranking the unsuspecting, they continued to torment Severus, in the hopes that the boy would leave James's Lily alone and let him have a chance with her, but no such luck. Sirius was only too happy to help him in tormenting the greasy git, and Remus was often there to reel them back in from going too far.

The years seemed to fly by, and before James could even comprehend it, he was graduating. Lily finally reciprocated his feelings after Snivelus Snape had a falling out with the unforgiving red-head. It had been his own damn fault; the half-breed should have known better than to call Lily a "mudblood."

However, it was all so bitter sweet to James. The war had taken a turn for the worst; he had been recruited into the Order after the several of the headquarters were attacked mid-way through his seventh year. His parents were dead and his ancestral home was in ruins. Sirius, who was like a second son to Dorea and Charlus, was devastated. The two teens had each downed a bottle of fire-whiskey the night they received the news.

James was certain he would have gone out and killed every last Death Eater if it hadn't been for Lily's calming presence. She was also recruited; in fact, many of the brightest and most "light" witches and wizards within the graduating class were a part of the Order, the majority of the recruits were from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw.

James proposed to Lily shortly after graduation and received many taunts from his nephew as well as a _Damn, she still won't even let me hold her hand in public, how am I going to marry her before you marry Lily?_ Everything was a race, but it was all in good fun. James understood that it was a very difficult time for them in the Elemental Lands, hence his nephew's joking response.

People were dying left and right, and his nephew was used to his comrades dying at his feet because he could not be everywhere at once. To add more worry and anxiety on his nephew, there were fights over possession of the jinchūriki. In addition to everything else, there was the mysterious Akatsuki group who kept throwing wrenches into everyone's plans. His nephew was trying to let it not get to him, but it showed in everything Minato wrote. A ninja war that dragged every nation into the fray would be upon the Elemental Lands

Sometimes James regretted not being a ninja, but he was truly happy with where he was now. He was at least genin level, but if he had gotten to train more he could have been chūnin by now. But then there was his nephew, jōnin and growing legend. There were also rumors about him being trained to become Hokage. Just hearing how far along Minato was left James almost unsatisfied with the direction his life was going.

Yet he did see his fair share of action. Sirius and James began training to become Aurors, a department that was right up both their allies.

James found his days after Hogwarts filled with training to be an Auror, fighting against Voldemort in general, getting to know Lily's family, and getting to goof off occasionally with his friends.

Everyone was rather disturbed with how easily James took the death tolls in this war, but honestly, they were not that impressive. The last Ninja War had death tolls around five-thousand (shinobi and civilian alike from every country), and the Wizarding War was barely six-hundred (including known muggle deaths). Of course the emotional impact of these deaths was greater to the wizards than in the shinobi world, often the casualties in the Elemental Lands were of those who were expendable. It was a ninja's duty to die for their country. Naturally, someone was mourning those KIAs or MIAs; but not like everyone in the wizarding world did for their own.

The wedding had been pleasant. James only wished his nephew could have been there, standing next to Sirius. However, the growing conflict had made Minato a crucial element and made it impossible for him to come here. Still, James treasured these moments, even as the war around him picked up intensity.

It was February of 1980 when they received word of a prophesized child who would have the power to destroy the Dark Lord Voldemort. Lily was pregnant, barely into her second trimester. The two had nothing to worry about; if the baby was early then they would worry, the divined date of birth was five months away.

It turned out that they did have something to worry about. James had informed Minato that he might have to move his family to the Elemental Lands, however, the jōnin advised otherwise. Many families, despite having been protected by Konoha walls, had been killed by small enemy infiltrations.

The Potters were forced into hiding, and after changing Secret Keepers three times, they decided on Peter Pettigrew. The war continued to worsen, it seemed Voldemort would win soon if the chosen infant did not do something and fast.

All of this made James antsy and feel trapped. He had a sinking feeling when it came to Peter, and as October rolled around during the following year, the bad feeling increased tenfold. Peter refused to visit, saying it could jeopardize the charm on the house – perhaps someone might follow him to the house. But James knew the truth the moment a dark energy burst through his front door.

Thinking quickly, James locked eyes with the Dark Lord just as James was hit by a stunning charm. James knew the finishing blow, or curse in this case, would come next, but the eye contact had been enough. The bastard was under his illusion, even if James felt like his mind had gone through toxic sludge to plant the illusion in the wizard's mind. Voldemort would think he had succeeded in his following attacks, but something was wrong…

Instead of Voldemort standing there like a lemon, that vile snake of a man began to move toward the nursery. He seemed to think that James was dead and was proceeding to his next target. James was still trapped in the stunning curse, and his mind was still half within the other's and focused on enforcing his illusion. James tried to put his will on the other mind, but he was too late.

James could see Voldemort's thoughts: his plan to kill Harry, and his bargaining. James couldn't stay in that dark mind when the bastard was plotting to kill his wife and child. James reeled his mind back to him, but now he was fully aware of what was around him despite the headache he received from such a careless extraction.

He heard Lily yell as she pleaded for that monster to kill her and not her baby. James focused through the pain in his head and managed to break free of the spell. He dashed up the stairs, cursing himself for not investing in speed training when he was younger. He could have used Minato's speed in this moment. What was strength when you couldn't even reach your target?!

He saw the green flash of _Avada Kadavra _and heard Lily's cry cut off. He was blinded for a moment, but then he heard the incantation spoken again. However, something was off; the spell deflected and struck Voldemort. He burst into flame, a spectral thing rising from his previous position. The nursery had caught fire from the refracted spell as well.

No…no! His baby, his little Harry was the Prophesized Child. He stared at the boy, crying and bleeding from his little forehead.

James's body moved without his mind's consent, he picked up his son and began the incantation to travel to the Elemental Lands. His eyes trailed to the pale and horrified visage of his dearest love. He wasn't strong enough, his illusion had not worked how it was supposed to, he had not been fast enough to reach her in time; he was not strong enough to protect those around him. He was weak; he could not defend his precious people. He failed…he had failed to protect her.

He knew where he would go and what he would do. He would never be weak again, and neither would his son; he'd make damn sure of that. The Wizarding World could take care of their own problems from now on – his family had suffered enough!

The flash of light and puff of smoke which accompanied the teleportation between words occurred long before Sirius Black or Albus Dumbledore arrived. They only knew two things: one, the Potters were dead, and two, Voldemort was nowhere to be seen, just like Harry and James.

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><p><em><strong>À suvire<strong>_


	5. Chapter 1: A confusing birthday

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own, nor do I gain anything (but writing and editing experience) by using the plot and characters from these works. Naruto and and the Harry Potter series belong to their respective creators, editors, publishers, and companies.

_**Summary:**_ They were all trying to escape, whether it was from fate, war, grief, abuse, hate. They were all trying to escape. There are many Harry Potter spoilers for those who have not read the books, and spoilers for the Naruto series as well.

**A/N: **This is the last chapter Stella600 has been able to beta. Hikagi has not beta'ed this but but both Stella and Hikagi have reminded me that suspension of disbelief only goes so far. I think my editing has improved enough that I will not need a beta from here out (however there bound to be errors I miss, especially in punctuation which I use intuitively). Regardless enjoy! Much love, depressedchildren

**Key: **

_text_ is text

_levi corpus_ a known spell, usually a perversion of a Latin phrase

_"Dialogue" _the opposite language of the world they are in

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><p><strong>Chapitre un<strong>

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><p>A young child lay in his bed. His mind was in the realm between sleeping and waking. It was warm there and the world was fuzzy, but there was a nice smell in the air. It smelled like salted meat being cooked in a hot pan, onions and other vegetables were roasting beside it. He could smell garlic and other unknown spices in the air. It was enough to make his mouth water and bring him out of that vague in-between world.<p>

"Morning," someone stated softly next to the toddler's covered head.

Had cousin Minato come over? But that wasn't his voice... Surely it wasn't his father; the voice was too kind, too warm. Green eyes peered blearily out from under bed covers, what was going on?

"What are the twelve deadliest points on the human body?" that was a question his father would ask, but he never asked it in such a gentle manner, it always was a cool monotone command.

Regardless, the little boy pointed to the spots on his body that would prove fatal if struck by a needle. There was a chuckle above the child and he felt his body being lifted from the bed to be rested against someone's hip. Through his sleep addled mind, the child became aware that this person was indeed his father.

"Happy birthday," the man whispered while moving the child into the next room, from which all of the magnificent aromas generated.

"Daddy?" the child asked uncertainly as he pulled away from the man to regard him better. The man had the same face as his father: strong jaw, defined nose, thin cheeks - an overall aristocratic visage. He had the same messy black hair, the same glass-things over his eyes – brown eyes that should reflect dully in the artificial light; however, today those brown eyes held a light in them that the child had only seen on a few occasions.

One such occasion had been when the boy had tried to play a trick on his father by hiding himself for the whole day. Every time the man had drawn near, moving in an uncharacteristic panic, the little boy would sneak into another room and another hiding place. It had been a rebellion on the boy's part, he hadn't felt like reading that day, or being lectured on how to kill or use knives.

He had never seen so much emotion on his father's face before! The man had been screaming for him, and overturning all of the furniture in the house. It had frightened the little boy, but his father had soon left after donning his porcelain deer mask. The little toddler had come out of his hiding spot and had righted his small sitting chair. And there he had sat until cousin Minato had come back with his father, who was yelling in some strange language.

"Really Uncle, a two-year-old eluded you all day?" his cousin had asked, and gestured to the nervous two-year-old who had been regarding his father with wide and frightened emerald eyes.

His father had thrown off his mask and had rushed over to the little boy, where he had grabbed the toddler tightly by the arms, "Don't ever do that to me again!" he had yelled while he shook the boy until the toddler was in tears, "I thought they found us," the father had whispered, before he had brought the little boy to his chest where he held him tightly for a long time.

"Now, now, Uncle, I'm sure Cousin was just playing with you. He **is** a child, he's bound to want to play," Minato had crouched down next to them, and had pated the crying boy on the back. "There was no need to tear apart the village," the blonde man had added in a chiding tone.

After a short pause the blonde spoke again, "You will be cleaning up all the places you went to," Minato had stated this in an authoritative voice, "and I mean that as your Hokage in training."

The boy's father had nodded in resignation before pulling away from his teary son to look at him with that light in his eyes, "Did you really sneak away from me all day?" Hesitantly, the boy had nodded in affirmation to the question. "Good job," his father had stated, his voice had been a bit gruff and his hold a little too tight. "Very good job, but don't ever do that to me again."

The other time his father had such a light in his eyes, a few months ago when the little boy had successfully followed every hand sign his father had made during one of their exercises. But today was different, the boy had not completed any strange feat; he had merely woken up and his father had a light shining behind his usually cold eyes.

"What is the theory behind Chakra?" his father asked as they neared the dining table, which was laden with food the child had never seen before.

"From inside, and it life," the boy murmured, his words unarticulated, but his father understood and briefly went into his son's mind to make sure the child was thinking the correct answer. He was, but most of his thoughts circulated around his father's strange actions.

"It's not every day a person turns four," the man explained and set his son down at the table where he began scooping some scrambled eggs onto his plate with a few pieces of bacon.

"What is it?" the boy asked, his words rushed together, and he looked at his father with a furrowed brow and green eyes filled with suspicion.

"It's something your mother used to make," he explained before taking a bite of the eggs off of his son's plate to show they weren't poisoned. He did not put it past the child to be suspicious of new food, the man only ever made rice and unseasoned fish. Though he did make sure the boy knew what different spices and poisons smelled like - well, mostly poisons.

"Why?" green eyes looked at him in confusion, as the boy refused to touch his food. He knew his son was asking, "Why did you make this?"

"To celebrate your birthday," his son opened his mouth again, but the man beat him to the punch, "Because one should always celebrate life, now eat up and we'll begin our lecture,"

"What about work?" the boy dropped the "t"s off his words and the sentence was spoken quickly. Despite those obstacles, the father understood what his son was saying and waved his hand dismissively in reply.

He had taken the day off. He usually had the boy work on his literacy and stealth in the mornings with a clone, thus saving lectures and agility training for the afternoon when he was relieved of duty. He gave the lectures personally, for his clones could only do so much and his son asked many relevant yet irrelevant questions that usually went past the subject matter for that day. Besides, he wanted to see his son's progress as it came, not receive a rush of information after the clone was dispersed.

After quizzing the boy on the material they covered that day (projectiles and more chakra theory), he set the boy on his lap and produced a little box from his Jounin vest. Green eyes blinked at him owlishly, which caused the corner of the man's mouth to twitch upwards.

"It's a present, and I will answer one personal question as a gift for your birthday," he often motivated the boy to study and train through bribes of telling him about his mother or about their past. It helped that the man had forbidden Minato from saying anything to his son, in fear that people from his past would come and destroy Konoha.

The little boy opened the box slowly, his hands were shaking slightly. This was the first present he remembered receiving, he was sure his father gave him something when he turned two and three, but he could not recall what it could have been. His memories of those years were fuzzy, but he knew how to read and he knew many of the basic ninja theories from those years too – he usually just had a hard time articulating what he had learned because he did not have the vocabulary.

Inside the box were two small knives, knives that easily fit into the little boy's hands. "I'm going to start teaching you how to use knives, as well as how to throw needles, and we will also begin on chakra control. I'm going to start pushing you to your physical limits, Son," the man directed the child's attention away from the knives and back to him, "We will be working on your speed and endurance now too, it won't just be agility and stealth anymore," the boy nodded slowly. He could ask his father why, but he did not want to waste his question, and he had one that had been nagging him for some time now but he had been too afraid to ask.

"Daddy, what's my name?"

Of all the questions that had to be the one his son asked? James stifled a sigh.

"I can't tell you for your own safety," at the boy's frown he elaborated, "there are bad people looking for you. That is why you need to be strong, that's why I'm training you."

"But how does my name make them find me?" the child asked, only half of his words were intelligible this time, but the man understood none the less.

"Because it isn't a name from here, just as my name isn't. That's why Minato only calls me Uncle or Shika," the man explained slowly, his son's frown grew and his eyes were becoming watery.

"How is it not from here?" the four-year-old demanded, his arms were folded over his chest, and his present was forgotten in his lap.

"My name is James. Isn't that a strange name, don't you think it sticks out amongst all the other names in the village? So would yours, Son. And I will not insult your mother by giving you a new name," the man replied, his voice became cold.

"So everyone has a name, but me?!" the boy cried as tears streamed down his face. His father held his arms tightly, thus forcing the boy to look at him blearily through the tears.

"I am going to train you to be a ninja, and ninja do not cry," he hissed, his brown eyes were narrowed dangerously, which caused the boy to nod dumbly before he broke out of the hold and ran outside.

James could hear his son crying out there, beside the garden he had begun planting to commemorate the lives he took as a ninja and in regret over his past actions. Perhaps today's conversation would blossom another lily in that garden.

Cursing under his breath, James rested his forehead against the screen leading outside. _"Harry…If only you knew what I was protecting you from."_

"Minato will be coming over to take care of you while I'm gone on my mission," James explained to his son, who had just woken up with a leaf attached to his forehead. The man was quite proud of the boy - being able to maintain his chakra control even while sleeping was a great feat, but the next test was today. "Make sure he does the paperwork Hokage-sama has given him, and if you complete this list of training exercises before my return, without having the leaf drop, we can go eat at the new Barbeque restaurant." Harry's eyes lit up in excitement at the chance to eat something other than his father's bland food, excluding his birthday breakfast a few months back.

His father quickly left, thus leaving the boy alone with a very long list. All dreams of eating something savory left as his green eyes skimmed over the various tasks he was to complete. _Find all fifty of the silver bells with red ribbon I've hidden in the house and yard. _Whenever his father hid something, the man could never find it again, and it wasn't because he was forgetful, usually.

The four-year-old assumed his father would be gone for a few days, thus he needed to time himself accordingly. Perhaps his father would even tell him about his mother if he completed all of the tasks. So far, Harry knew that his mother died protecting him from a very bad man, and that said bad man would kill both of them, and Minato, if he ever found out where they were hiding. He also knew that his father had been too weak to protect her from him, thus why he trained so much and trained Harry from such a young age. He didn't want to be weak again; they both had to be strong, strong enough to protect their precious people.

With a small sigh the boy scanned the list for something he could do without adult supervision. Minato was likely to arrive in a few hours with his apprentice, Hatake Kakashi. Minato had a genin team now, but his other students had families to be with, and Kakashi had been his apprentice since the boy's father died so Harry was familiar with the older boy. Minato also had a lot of homework from Hokage-sama about being a Hokage, which made sense, since he was going to become Hokage in a few more years.

_Decode all one hundred messages lying on the table._ Since the day Harry could read, that was all he ever did, however, he only now understood how to write. It was hard to copy those characters down and to know which ones to use! Besides, the brushes and pencils always felt awkward in his hands and it was hard to mimic the characters.

As the four-year-old got out of his bed, pocketing the list in his sleep pants, he ended up jumping back onto his bed with a hiss and clutching his foot from where it touched the floor. He hated when his father did this! For Harry's agility training, James often rigged the floorboards to send up a small electrical charge, it was enough make one move but not really hurt.

Scanning the room, Harry noted that one of the silver bells was stuck to his window shade above his bed, while another was hanging from the center drawer of his desk, and a third bell's ribbon was sticking up from the floorboards near the door. Surveying the room for a storage scroll the boy noted several confetti traps were wired around his door. James did that every now and then, just to give his son a little scare and make him more cautious of doors. He would also make the boy clean up the mess if it was set off or disarmed incorrectly.

The boy closed his eyes briefly to focus on the energy in the room, in the darkness he began to see lights popping up around him. The general area around his bed glowed with an eerie pale purple light, and the floorboards around both of the bells locations glowed with the same color. Trying to keep those energies in mind, he opened his eyes and briefly saw the colors radiating up from the floor, but it was gone in the next moment.

Standing on the bed's headboard, the child was able to reach the bell hanging from the window; however, when he grasped hold of it, confetti hit him in the face with enough force to knock him onto the floor, and into what had been a purple area.

Giving a cry of shock and pain, the four-year-old scrambled up, and hopped from foot to foot until he finally jumped onto his dresser. He sat there for a moment panting while he tried to shake out all of the paper from his hair. He briefly brought his hand to his forehead and gave a sigh of relief, the leaf was still there covering his jagged, lightning shaped scar.

Green eyes scanned the room in a calculating manner. If he could get to his desk, he could retrieve some wire and a kunai, but from his current position that would be quite the task. Closing his eyes again, the boy sought out where his father put the electrical charges. If he took one large leap from his dresser toward the desk, he should be in safe territory. From there he would need to jump onto his desk chair and then be able to get what he needed from that area.

Putting his plan into action, Harry successfully reached his chair only to jump onto his desk in shock, his father rigged the chair too! Looking around his drawers carefully, he noted several more traps situated to go off when he opened them. The little boy looked at the bell hanging from the front drawer, if he pulled it straight down it shouldn't disturb the trap, but how was he to get the wire and his kunai, he anticipated using that to pry up the floorboard by the other bell.

Looking around his desk, the boy grabbed his scissors from his writing utensil box and began to disarm the trap around his weapon's drawer. Successful, he retrieved the wire and kunai, before proceeding to remove the bell from its hanging position. He also retrieved a storage scroll from one of his other desk drawers, thankfully it was not trapped. Storing the two bells he had so far, he tucked the scroll into his sleep-pants pocket alongside the list of things to do.

Focusing on the energies in his room, Harry noted that only the top of the chair was rigged, not the underside. Smiling, he flipped the chair over, and kicked it toward where the last bell resided. Jumping onto the chair, the boy then hooked the kunai and wire through the ceiling light fixture before embedding the metal blade at the end of the floorboard, where it was raised slightly from his father's hasty preparations. The boy then began to pry the floorboard up before claiming his prize. From there, it was a matter of disarming the traps around the door and making a quick escape to the dining table.

* * *

><p>"Ah! What the fuck is he thinking!?" Harry chuckled at his cousin's yell from the entrance hall, "Is this confetti?" the Hokage-in-training managed to set off a door trap, a trap designed for Harry to disarm with some difficulty; how was he chosen to become Hokage?<p>

"Sensei, that's why doors should be avoided," the four-year-old smiled at the bored drone coming from the window behind him. Harry was going to warn the older boy not to step off of the window sill, but he was too late. The silver haired eleven-year-old jumped back onto the window ledge, his visible eye was wide from shock, "What the hell!?"

"Daddy rigged the floor," the four-year-old explained, in his unarticulated way, "For training." he added after the two trained ninja made their way carefully across the room while acting as one does at beach when the sand is burning hot.

"No wonder he's in the T & I department," the silver haired youth mumbled under his breath before looking at what the toddler was doing.

"Hi Hatake-san," the child cried, finishing the last of the messages he needed to decode. Most of the unscrambled missives were difficult to read due to Harry's lack of experience at writing, but it was clear they were all done and appeared to be correct.

"I see you're doing the leaf exercise, Namikaze-kun"

Only Namikaze Minato and Shika knew the boy's name, but neither ever spoke it aloud due to some outside threat it could pose. Shika allowed his son to be called Namikaze, but he refused to give him a first name; saying his son would take his ANBU name as his given if he must have a new name, just as Shika had done. This left Kakashi with only one choice, and that was to call the little boy Namikaze; at least Minato could call him Cousin…

Shika was a strange man, several of the older citizens knew his name, but they never said it aloud for fear of what the ANBU would do. Shika had a strange ability, he could see into others' minds, similar but very different from the Yamanaka clan. He never seemed incapacitated when doing so, and most did not know it was happening until too late. Shika also knew when someone was lying, he could discover anyone's past –even the most stubborn captives in the T & I department could not keep their secrets from him. The man had also developed a terrifying attack, one people likened to the Uchiha clan's Tsukuyomi, if only for the mental anguish it brought to his victims.

The boy hummed in response to Kakashi's observation while favoring a bulleted scroll written in Shika's chicken scratch characters. The little boy took his preferred writing tool and crossed off one of the items from the list, and changing the number next to another bulleted item. _Find all 45 of the silver bells_ the eleven-year-old stopped reading by that point – Shika was a madman.

"So, Cousin, what are we going to do today?" Minato asked excitedly as he began to withdraw an orange book from his jōnin vest.

"You're doing paperwork and your homework" Harry had a very serious expression set in place, while his arms were folded over his chest and his big eyes dared his cousin to suggest something else.

Sighing, the Hokage-in-training put his book away; he wanted to know what the book Jiraiya sent him was about. He was only a few pages in but he liked it so far. In fact, he wanted to name his first child after the main character. If he happened to have a girl he'd name her Naruko, and of course the boy would be named Naruto. But that would be many years off yet.

"You will never get a break," Kakashi teased, something which was becoming more common with time.

The soon-to-be twelve-year-old sat down beside the four-year-old and looked over his shoulder at the list of tasks.

"Cousin, have you had breakfast yet?" Minato asked the boy as he leaned against a nearby wall. Harry shook his head in response, all the while searching for something to do; he had already found all of the obvious bells in the little sitting room and now he was looking for another thing to do.

"Neh, Namikaze-kun, we could do the throwing obstacle course, I can show you some throwing techniques too."

"Kakashi," the eleven-year-old looked up at his teacher, alarmed at the suffix drop, "he hasn't had breakfast yet, neither of you are going anywhere until that's done."

"Daddy hid the food," the two ninja dropped their heads and exhaled. Shika was mad, very mad.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** The ages have changed as well as the facts, I'm trying to make this more toward cannon, unfortunately the age differences will no longer be cannon but at least the "facts" will be. Thanks for reading ~ much love, depressedchildren -edited 2/9/13


	6. Chapter 2: One Big Disappointment

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, nor do I gain anything (but writing and editing experience) by using the plot and characters from these works. Naruto and and the Harry Potter series belong to their respective creators, editors, publishers, and companies.

**_Summary:_ **They were all trying to escape, whether it was from fate, war, grief, abuse, hate. There are many Harry Potter spoilers for those who have not read the books, and just as many spoilers for the Naruto series.

**A/N:** Please enjoy ~ dperessedchildren -edited 2/9/13

**Key:**

_text_ is text

_spell_ you can tell when it's a spell, usually as perversion of a Latin phrase

_"dialogue" _a foreign language, the opposite language of the world they are in.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapitre deux<strong>

* * *

><p>Minato ended up having Kakashi buy some instant ramen, while the little boy began scouring the house for where his father hid the rice. All of the fish they ate was bought at the market in the morning, so they did not have to worry about that. It was sad that three of their cupboards were filled with rice; the others housed a combination of poisons and weapons.<p>

Harry poked at the ramen suspiciously, thus causing the two ninja to shake their heads in disbelief. They always thought the boy was exaggerating when he said they only ate rice and fish. What about fruits and vegetables? Where was the child getting all his nutrients? What about calcium?

"Daddy has me drink two glasses of milk for breakfast," the boy exclaimed, waiting for it to magically appear before him, and refusing to touch his food until he had his milk. Of course this too was bought fresh at the market. Well, at least he had some calcium in his diet.

Kakashi tilted his head back and sighed once more. He wished his little friend had an opportunity to be a child, sometimes Kakashi wished he had that opportunity but he was already moving on a very fast track toward being a jōnin. The warring climate had not lessened but at least no out right confrontations had occurred for a year now. Because of this lull and all of the peace negotiations, Minato-sensei was being trained for the position of Hokage. Only a handful of people knew this, but with the Sandaime so busy with negotiations, the Hokage was falling behind on paper work and so he made Minato-sensei do it as "training." Because of this, team Minato had been out of commission for some time now, and Kakashi's teammates were spending time with family lest the negotiations turn sour and a third Ninja War erupted. Kakashi wondered what would happen if a war did break out, a war that dragged all the nations into it. The climate was tense already and the chūnin wouldn't be surprised if in another year a full scale war did start.

Kakashi sighed once more but was startled from his thoughts by his little friend's excited yell.

"Milk!" the child cried, and indeed there was milk. As if by magic, two glasses of the beverage were set before the boy who was now digging into the ramen. Kakashi did not even bat an eye at this. Strange things happened around Minato-sensei all the time, same with Shika, why would it be different with Shika's son?

Minato hummed contentedly to himself, he had imagined a glass of milk resting beside his cousin's bowl and magic produced what he had intended. That was the nice thing about Grandma and Grandpa Potter, they taught him how to harness his magic so it would not harm himself. They explained what it was and that intense emotions could cause bouts of accidental magic. However, even now, if his emotions were out of control there would be accidental magic, because he had never been trained. However, every now and then he needed to let a little bit of magic out lest he face a backlash. Thus he found that focusing on something intently could produce magic as well, but it was exhausting and only simple magic that occurred. This was often how Minato let his magic out, he could do it once a year it seemed.

Minato knew little Harry had summoned the second glass, and for that he was smiling. Harry's magic was very wild right now, and reacted to the slightest whim. Minato's grandparents told him he and his uncle were both like that too.

With breakfast done, the two boys went outside while Minato was stuck signing papers, and making sure the boys didn't hurt themselves. With a frown marring the young man's face, he had to concede that the child would make a brilliant assassin with a little more training. He would not be a heavy hitting ninja, but one of true stealth. Harry could slip behind an opponent and grant them a quick demise, if only with a few more years of training. And that was the thought which scared Minato most.

He couldn't bear the thought of his little cousin becoming a killer, of becoming a ninja so young. But that was what James wanted; he wanted his son strong enough to face all the obstacles life put before him. He wanted his son to know how to kill, and how to protect his precious people. He wanted to make sure the child could never be brought into another wizard war.

James was terrified, though he would never admit it, that someone would come for them; that someone would take his son away from him. Harry was all the man had left in the world; he was the only person he had left to protect. Of course there was Minato, but they had begun to drift apart.

It had started when James came to Konoha with his fifteen-month-old son crying and bleeding in his arms. He had passed the infant off to Minato before moving toward the Hokage's tower. The only thing he had said was that he was going to register as a ninja and find a home for them. Minato had watched his uncle and best friend walk away; James's usually bright and amused brown eyes were dead.

Later, after James had received his forehead protector, they were sitting in Minato's apartment drinking a few beers. "Lily's dead," was all he had said after a long time. Having never seen his uncle in this mood, Minato had remained quiet, and had let James say what was bothering him when he wanted to.

It had been after Harry woke up crying that James had been able to say what was troubling him, and he had done so while holding tightly to his very awake son, "My illusion didn't work, the one time it wasn't enough and…" James had trailed off and swallowed audibly.

"This is about that prophecy, isn't it?"

"Voldemort chose my son," James's voice had been thick with emotion. Harry had been looking at his father in confusion; his infant mind did not comprehend what was going on but he could still feel the tension in the air. "He hit me with a stunning charm but I locked him in a mind illusion…or so I thought," Minato had nodded slowly, and encouraged the man to continue, "He was supposed to believe he succeeded in killing me, Lily, and Harry, but instead he went on to kill them," James's voice had held disbelief. It was as if James could not wrap his mind around what had happened, as if the possibility he could fail at something was inconceivable. And James continued to struggle with that, even after three years.

"Grandma talked about how powerful love can be, how it's the oldest form of magic in the world," Minato had murmured softly, his stormy blue eyes had caught James's eyes, "How exactly did Harry survive?"

"I don't know, Voldemort hit him with the killing curse but it rebounded onto him," the man had just held tighter to his son, who by this time had begun to touch his father's tear streaked face in wonderment. His brilliant green eyes had seemed to be asking what this moisture was, and why was his father creating it?

"Was this after Lily," the wild look in his uncle's eyes had cut off the jōnin, but it answered his question none the less. Minato had taken a swig of his drink, while he thought back to what his grandmother had told him about love and the old magic. Even now, if he was to hazard a guess, he would say what he had three years ago. "Maybe it was part of the prophecy. Lily's love protected Harry, and made it impossible for Voldemort to hurt him."

James had looked up at Minato, his brown eyes expressed hurt and betrayal, "Are you saying there was nothing I could do? That no matter what she was going to die?" James had been seething, his chest heaving, "Are you saying that some hag's prophecy is the reason my wife is dead, and my son will be hunted for the rest of his life by bigoted psychopaths with sticks?!"

"Yes, there was nothing you could do,"

"Yes there was, if I had just invested in speed I could have reached her in time!" James had stood up by this point, and had loomed over the seated younger man, Harry had begun to cry by this point, for the loud noises his father had been making had scared him. "You were always right, Minato, what's strength without speed?"

With those words hanging in the air, the man had left through the window with Harry crying securely in James's arms.

It grew worse after that night. In the following days, James began pushing his baby to read, he would spend every free hour he had telling the child ninja basics: chakra theory, pressure points, jutsu theory, weapons theory, anatomy, the science of projectiles, history, and so on. Every spare moment he would tell his son these things, it became all he ever said to the infant. By age two the child was truly pushed to read, succeeding and moving on to decoding messages. By that same time, James was an ANBU operative and working in the T & I department extracting information from enemy ninja.

Minato disapproved, James was allowing no time for Harry to be a child. Hell! He had Harry memorizing ways to kill people when he was still wearing diapers, granted they were the ones that allowed for easy potty-training but still…

Whenever Minato would contest James's treatment, he would remind Minato that someone would find them eventually. And when that happened, the people that could come here could devastate Konoha with a few flicks of the wrist.

Minato knew how destructive magic could be, and so those words weighed heavily upon Minato's mind. What if wizards did find a way to come here? If it was those Death Eaters, Konoha was not safe. The guards would not be able to sense magic; they would think the travelers were harmless civilians that forgot their papers. The next thing any of them would know, the village would be ablaze with _fiendfrye_, and Minato doubted the Sharingan would be any help against that, even if the Uchiha was capable of controlling Amateratsu.

Wizards may be physically weak and easy to kill, but some of their spells could topple towns, and should a ninja be unlucky or too slow, those spells could kill them. Those were the thoughts that made him grin and bear Harry's lost chance at being a child. It would be best for the country if no one knew of Potter Harry or Potter James. It would be best for the village if both of them could handle themselves. It would be best…

Today was another blow to Minato's conscience. Harry was bribed into training with new foods, with stories of his mother, with new experiences he should have had by now. Had the boy ever had a sweet before? Would Harry ever have a sweet? Would Harry ever get to experience a world beyond training and killing? Would he ever know his real name?

It was for the best…It was for the best…It…was…for…the…best…for the best…. But it was wrong, it was horribly wrong.

* * *

><p>Harry was crying. The leaf fell off while he was swimming a half mile in the river that ran behind their house. How was he supposed to keep the leaf on with such strong water currents? He had maintained his chakra but the leaf still fell off. He finished his half mile and pulled himself on shore. He cried, even though he wasn't supposed to, he cried.<p>

He found all of the bells, having to go underneath the house and onto the room for most of them (the roof was also rigged). He had pulled all of the weeds out of the garden along with a few small trees growing where they shouldn't have been, and he was fairly positive his father planted the majority of those weeds the night before. He had balanced the checkbook, decoded the missives, found the rice, found his vitamins and took them, completed the throwing obstacle course within the time limit (twice), as well as ran through the normal obstacle course in record time. He had successfully monitored his cousin's work progress and would flick his ear if he started to goof off (as instructed by his father), without alerting the Hokage-in-training to his presence. He filled out his anatomy worksheets, and he aced all the tests his father left him to take over Harry's free reading material (topics ranging from weapons to jutsus to history). He had successfully picked Jiraiya's book from his cousin's pocket so it wouldn't distract the man, and then burned it in secret (also as instructed). Harry successfully treaded water for a half hour and ran a mile in the water without the leaf falling off. He had ten items left on the list and the leaf fell off while he was swimming! Ten items left!

He was angry with himself, he let down his father, and now he wouldn't be rewarded. He didn't care so much about the food, he cared more about the stories he could have heard. He wanted to hear about his mother, he wanted to know what she looked like, what her name was, what her personality was like. He lost that chance today and he had been working so hard the last two days.

Shaking his head, and wiping at the tears in determination, Harry got to his feet. He plucked a leaf from one of the bushes nearby and stuck it to his forehead, and began circulating his chakra to keep the foliage in place. He would finish the list, and he would get started by cleaning up the tripped confetti traps.

* * *

><p>"You completed your tasks without the leaf falling?" James was impressed, behind his ANBU mask his mouth began to twitch up at the corners.<p>

Harry had his head bowed, he shook his head slowly, his face flushed with shame, "It fell when I was swimming," he explained in his inarticulate way with his hands clasped tightly behind his back.

James tilted his son's chin back, and locked eyes with his son. He then ran through all the boy had done the last two days. He was still impressed. He had thought the boy would have lost control of his chakra during the night. Dinner at the restaurant was out though; Minato and Kakashi had been spoiling Harry with ramen, fruit, and other non-bland foods. The upside to this was that now he could use those as bribes too.

"I suppose I should commend you for your perseverance," whether Harry knew what that word meant or not, he did not show it. "You get one question," the corners of James's mouth twitched upwards at the sudden brightness in his son's eyes. It reminded him of Lily when he would get her a new charms book, her eyes would light up at the opportunity to learn something more.

"Do you have a picture of mommy?" Harry's green eyes were so wide and hopeful; it saddened James to have to do this.

"I do," he replied shortly, his hand gravitating toward his ANBU breastplate unconsciously. It was a picture of Lily reading in front of the living room window at Godric's Hallow. Eventually she would look up at the camera and smile and wave slightly before going back to her book. He loved that picture so much, he carried it with him always.

"Where is it?" the boy asked, sad that his father had not presented it to him.

"It's always with me," he explained before cutting his son's following request off, "And you may not see it today, perhaps when you've earned another question. At least next time you will know how to phrase your questions better," in truth, the only reason he was not showing it to his son was because it was a wizarding picture, a moving picture. How would he explain a moving picture?

"Oh…" Harry turned away. The leaf fell from his forehead and to the ground as the four-year-old made his way to his bedroom.

* * *

><p>Where the hell was it?! James patted himself down for a second time, yet he could not feel the stiff stock of a photo anywhere on his person. He had it when he left the house this morning, or perhaps he forgot it in his pillow?<p>

Despite his frantic thoughts, James was completely calm on the outside; even his pat down seemed like the action one casually does to remember where they placed their keys. The only indication he was upset was the slight decrease in the time between breaths.

Closing his eyes, he thought back on the day. He spied on some Mist ninja traveling through Konoha, no apparent plans to attack were overheard; he lectured Harry and gave him a test over all the skills he had been learning lately, and then they had a bland dinner. Harry gave him a hug before going off to his room to read…usually Harry would have come out and gotten himself ready for bed. James told him to start dressing himself shortly after his third birthday, if Harry was to be a ninja he should know how to care for himself.

Shaking his head in disbelief, James made his way silently toward his son's room. He pushed chakra through his feet to soften the sound of his footfalls, and slowly slid open the door after placing a silencing charm on it with a discreet wave of his wand.

As the ANBU expected, his son was staring down at a faded thick piece of paper, a lost expression adorned his face. Closing the door, and proceeding to take off the charm, James moved to stand behind his son. The boy was too focused on the picture to have noticed the stick his father had waved around before placing in his vest.

There Lily was, smiling at the camera, waving, then turning back to the book. "Daddy, why is it moving?" green eyes never left the picture, yet the boy still knew James was in the room.

"Because it's a special picture," silence reigned, but it was comfortable. Both of them were lost in the picture, emotions Harry had never experienced burned in his chest and placed pressure behind his eyes, as for James, he knew what these emotions were.

Finally turning away and somehow managing to stay dry-eyed, he spoke to the room in an indifferent manner, "You took it when you hugged me, didn't you?" out of the corner of his eyes, James saw his son shake his head, eyes still transfixed on the picture.

"During the test, I took it instead of the bell," Harry explained, thus causing the ANBU to recall the exact moment his son was referring to. He had caught Harry retracting his arm, it was empty…but the sleeve of his shirt looked like it was hiding a card or, as it turned out, a picture.

James exhaled in amusement, and he called himself an ANBU. He stood up and took the photo back, plucking it from his son's loose hold. The child looked up at him weakly; his eyes were shining with unshed tears. "I'd rather it didn't get damaged," it was a cold statement, one which hurt, as seen by the minute flinch Harry made.

"Okay," Harry whispered softly, as he looked down at his lap. Harry was a child after all, and he did not blame his father treating him as such when it came to something as precious as that picture. Harry had seen some of the children in the neighborhood from the garden. Those children were always covered in dirt and broke their toys; they fell down a lot too, and cried often. Harry would never trust his special things with them, it just hurt to be categorized as one of those destructive kids.

* * *

><p>Harry was woken by a warm presence behind him. He wondered what his father was doing in his room, having subconsciously sensed his presence as soon as he had entered the bedroom, but he did not know with what intention his father came.<p>

Harry's body was sore from today's training and his mind was heavy with sleep, he did not think he could complete a midnight test. His father did that on occasion, it was to evaluate his alertness upon waking, could his son survive a sudden surprise attack, could his mind work when it was still shaking away the fog of sleep?

However, James had done nothing but slip under the covers and hold Harry. What was the purpose behind this?

"Daddy?" James interpreted the sleepy question as "why are you here?"

"You were having a bad dream," he whispered, his eyes closed as he took in his son's scent. In actuality, it was he who had the bad dream.

"No I wasn't," Harry yawned, his eyes still closed as he snuggled into his pillow and blankets.

"Yes you were, you were having a nightmare," James reassured, lying through his teeth.

"I think you had the bad dream," Harry murmured sleepily.

"I never have bad dreams," James replied, bringing his son closer to him, reassuring himself that the boy was there.

"You're lying," Harry whispered as nestled into his pillow in an attempt to become comfortable in his new place on the bed.

"Why do you say that?"

"You're voice wavered," Harry replied simply, it was minute, but the waver had been there. James frowned slightly and propped himself onto one arm to look at his son before he slipped into the young sleep addled mind. However, he felt something pushing him out. Beside him, Harry was squirming, his face scrunched up. Was Harry…? No! Could Harry sense the mental intrusion?

"Daddy, stop it," Harry whined, finally opening his green eyes to look up at his father with an annoyed expression, "'m tired!"

James smiled his slight smile, and hugged the boy as he moved him to rest on his chest. Harry was too tired to complain and so began to wriggle around until he was comfortable. It was hard to accomplish with his father's unyielding body. They were also lying diagonally on the bed, for it was the only way James could lay out on the mattress "fully", of course his feet still dangled off the end.

"What was it about?" Harry mumbled. His eyes were closed while his father stroked his hair gently.

"I dreamed the Bad Man," that was what James referred to Voldemort as when he talked to Harry, "found us and he took you away. He did many awful things to you until…until he killed you" James moved his arms to hold onto his son tightly. "He could do it too, Son, that's why I've been training you," James whispered softly.

"I know, Daddy," Harry whispered in reply, his breathing began to even out with sleep.

The next morning Harry was by himself in his bed. Perhaps he and imagined… but his sheets smelled like his father. Harry understood, and it made his chest ache and his eyes sting. Why did he always do this? His father always did these contradicting actions and it was confusing. His father cared about him, of course, but it was often difficult to tell. But that was his life, and Harry was already resigned to it.

* * *

><p>"Put on your shoes," James ordered after Harry skidded into to the entrance way with his shoes in hand.<p>

"We're really going into to town?" Harry had only been away from the neighborhood a handful of times, and usually his father would pick him up and…and teleport them there. To Harry it felt like he was being compressed and sucked up through a straw.

"Not if you're shoes aren't on" James's threat was cut off by the child's blurred movements as Harry put on his shoes, "Now we will be going to town," James locked the door behind them before activating some of the wards around their home.

The father decided to test his son's speed, and so challenged the boy to stay up with him as they ran to the market district. Considering his son's gait, the child kept up pretty well, however, he was panting when they came to their stop on a roof overseeing the market.

"We'll have to work more on your endurance," James commented as he crouched down and surveyed the civilians. He soon pointed out an elderly woman buying fish.

"How old is she?" Harry blinked at his father owlishly, how was he supposed to know that? "Look at her and tell me," James commanded in his customary monotone.

Harry watched the woman as she bought her fish, if he was to guess, he'd say she was seventy. But it was clear his father wasn't looking for a guess. Harry narrowed his gaze, the question was repeating in his mind over and over.

Suddenly he was seeing many things, memories that weren't his own. They were this woman's memories and they flooded past his eyes until landing on one that would provide the information he desired. It was the woman's tenth birthday, a calendar was conveniently placed behind her. Doing the math, he gave his answer with confidence, "Seventy-two,"

"Very good, now that girl there, what did her father say to her yesterday to make her sad?"

Again, Harry focused on his target and the memories came rushing past him. "He was going off on a three month peace mission in Iwa," Harry whispered, this felt wrong…seeing into someone else's mind.

"You have inherited our clan's ability," James explained, and rested a hand on his son's shoulder, "think of it as a far superior version of the Yamanaka clan's jutsus,"

Harry nodded slowly, uncomfortable that he could see into someone else's mind so easily. But if his father could do it too, it made a lot of sense, it explained why he was one of the best interrogators.

"I unknowingly slipped into someone's mind when I was eight, the fact that you were able to slip into someone's mind now…" there was that light in his father's eyes. "You are a prodigy," Harry bowed his head, part of him felt warm from the compliment but another part of him felt sick.

"Once you can enter another's mind with a glance we will begin your mental resistance training. The mind can be very vulnerable, susceptible to petty emotions and willing to spill all of its secrets at the slightest bit of pain. It will also want to escape you once it is open, and that will drive you mad unless you are properly trained" James was looking off at the skyline as he spoke in his emotionless way. Harry needed to be protected from legilimens and his own mind. Should a legilimens appear and James was away on a mission, he would not have to worry about Harry slipping any information to them unknowingly.

Harry nodded again, unsure what else he could do. He knew his father was trying to protect him, but he was…he was afraid of what the following months would bring. He would turn five soon and for some reason…he was dreading it.

* * *

><p>"Happy Birthday," his father had that same kind tone he used with Harry the year before. James picked up his son, and set him against his hip. The child still seemed wary of James's uncharacteristic gentleness. But he was glad his son was suspicious, even though he knew Lily would be shaking her head at him…if she was still here.<p>

Harry pecked at his food uncertainly, it was the same as last year but there was fresh fruit to eat too. It was all very good, but Harry felt uneasy. He could look at people and see into their minds without thinking, would that mean they'd start this mental resistance training? His head also felt funny now, and being around anyone other than his father was disorienting.

"Daddy?" James looked over at his son, his marginal smile was in place, "What else can our clan do?" there was a slight furrow in the five-year-old's brow.

"We can harm a person's mind, and we can keep people from our memories by directing them to our mindscape. From there we can hide our memories and thoughts from them," James explained in his usual monotone, but there was a slight lecturing edge to his words. Though, if James was to be truthful, the latter part of what he said was occlumency, not their clan's abilities.

"Are you finished?" James asked, having eaten his own breakfast.

Harry nodded slowly, his stomach was in knots.

"Why don't we go train?" Harry nodded slowly again and got up from the table with his father to clean their plates. What kind of training would they do today?

His father had him work on his endurance through a game of tag, tag through the training grounds and James being the one chased. Harry had not wanted to disappoint his father, and so he pushed himself as far as his little body could go. Not once did he stop to get water, despite the sweltering heat. He had to prove himself.

However, when Harry passed out from overexertion, heat, and dehydration, James was cursing himself. He apparated his son back to their house before he began to rummage through the medical supplies.

What did one do for those ailments? With a sigh, he placed his canteen, enchanted to never run out of water, next to his unconscious son on the coffee-table which was in front of the couch. Retrieving his wand from his vest, James woke his son up with a mumbled _"Rennervate"_ before hiding his wand back in his Jōnin vest, which was considered his "leisure" clothes.

Harry looked around blearily, and was ready to fall back into unconsciousness. His head ached and he was so tired.

"Drink" James commanded as he pushed his canteen closer to his son. However, the boy felt boneless, and only managed to drop his arm onto the table. Sighing in irritation, unbeknownst to Harry it was directed at James himself, James propped his son against him and tipped the canteen toward the boy's mouth.

When Harry seemed full from the water he drank, James set the canteen back on the table. What was he to do now? Should he call Minato? It would only give the Hokage-in-training another opportunity to insult his parenting methods. He could ask Kushina to take care of the boy until he was better, though he didn't want her personality to rub off on Harry.

"Sorry," Harry whispered, his head was bowed in shame. He was so weak! He couldn't do anything his father asked of him correctly. He was a failure.

James looked away from his son, his eyes were closed tightly. It was his fault, he pushed the boy too far, and he should have been paying better attention. It was his fault the boy passed out on his own birthday, James should have been more observant.

"It doesn't matter," James rose from his seat and grabbed the bag of lily seeds he kept by the door leading to their backyard. Harry flinched when his father closed said door with a little more force than necessary. Would he ever be able to please his father?

* * *

><p><strong><em>A suivre<em>  
><strong>

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:** here's something I couldn't find space for but it is needed for later. This is unbeta'ed so forgive the spelling and grammatical mistakes. Without further adue:_

James looked down at the child in the crib. He would not let harm come to ever again, he had failed once and now he would do everything in his power to never do so again. He looked down at the forehead protector in his hand; it glinted in the faint light coming from the window. He would protect his son, and he would make sure his son could protect himself. His son would not make the same mistakes James did, his son would fast enough to never be touched and to always be fast enough to protect his precious people.

Then a thought occurred to James and he inhaled sharply. What if his son was injured and medics couldn't make it in time? What if he was poisoned on a mission? James's breathing quickened and his chest constricted at the thought. There were so many things that could happen in the line of duty, and the only way to ensure his son was strong enough when the wizards came was through becoming a shinobi.

James had parted ways from Minato some time ago and he was still angered by what his nephew had said, but he couldn't be brash even in his resolve. His son would be strong but he needed protection. Licking his lips, James knew what he had to do.

He quickly summoned his summons, and it felt so good to do so after such a long time. The raven had appeared and it looked at him curiously but recognition lit up its sharp eyes. The bird lazy flew over to the crib and peered down at the baby before it looked over at its summoner. "If he wakes get Minato," James stated, his voice was rough.

James then ran through the incantation and with a flash of light and a puff of smoke he was gone from the nursery. The raven stared after his summoner and sighed. The little one had changed so much; he remembered when the little chick had first summoned him. He was such a free spirit, and was meant for the air. The little James hand danced around his nephew who had a little toad beside him. The raven knew his little summoner had signed the contract because he was jealous of his nephew and had made his nephew teach him the basics of summoning. The little chick had won the raven over with his attitude and his love of heights, but now the raven saw very little of his young summoner in the man who had just disappeared. The raven looked down at the hatchling in the crib and vowed to watch over the babe while James was off wherever he was.

James appeared in Godric's Hollow, slightly winded from the travel but he was on a mission. He tried not to look around him, he tried not to think of the memories the place conjured up. He steeled his resolve and quickly moved to the cupboard under the stairs.

However, he did not move fast enough, for he was floored by a memory of Lily dancing with their newborn Harry in the living room. He had joined her and the three of them swayed back in forth together as a family.

James choked back his tears and moved more quickly toward the cupboard, he kicked up ash in his haste. It was painful to see his and Lily's home burned and destroyed as it was. He closed his eyes for a moment to hold back the tears and successfully came to the cupboard. He was dismayed to see a support beam had fallen through the stairs and coincidentally crushed half of the boxes in the cupboard. Lily's Christmas decorations she had gotten when her parents had passed on were destroyed, pieces of glass balls were scattered over everything else, and were blackened slightly by ash and fire.

James took a deep breath and pushed through his emotions, he couldn't let them debilitate him. He found what he was looking for, a burlap satchel he used at Hogwarts when he and the Marauders went to raid the kitchens. It had and undetectable expansion charm and feather light charm, which made it perfect for what he needed to grab from the house.

James tried not to look at anything else in the cupboard but his eyes caught the half burned photo albums that were just under the fallen support beam. He swallowed thickly and whirled around. However, he was stopped again by a memory of Lily. The bay window; she always sat there and read, he could almost see her there now. But the cushions were burned and the windows had cracked from the heat. It was dark and sordid view now. He hurried toward the cellar door.

This was Lily's room; this was where she researched her charms and potions. He took a deep breath and readied himself. He had seldom gone down there because that was her territory. She loved it down there with her experiments.

James wrenched the door open and was surprised the fire had not touched this part of the house. However, if the fire had not touched this area that meant he would see everything as she would have left it. James forced back his emotions and began his descent; his footsteps echoed on the stone steps and it almost sounded like there were ten people moving toward the cellar.

Once at the bottom of the steps he looked around and sucked in a deep breath. He could see Lily everywhere. Her notes were scattered about the desk at the far wall, some were in piles while others were spread about hazardously across the surface. There were two cauldrons in the cellar, one was already set up, and old potion made the air smell foul, likely the stasis charm had worn off. He used his wand and made the potion remains disappear. The second cauldron as a spare and James quickly shrunk it and put the cauldron in his satchel.

There were two bookcases in the cellar, one had a mixture of ingredients and books on its shelves, while the other was filled with only books. James scanned the spines and a sad smile spread across his lips. Lily organized her books by least interesting to most interesting. He could never understand her organization, for how could potions be more interesting than transfiguration or DADA? He began to chuckle but it quickly died. This was all he had of Lily left, this was all that was left of her little quirks.

He swallowed thickly and quickly grabbed books that looked like they might be useful. One was a potions book on healing potions, and another was on medical charms. He grabbed a few other books for when he would have to teach Harry magic. He wasn't sure what he would do about wands, but perhaps the boy could use his or he could sneak them into the wizarding world when the time came and find Harry his wand. James wasn't sure, and he didn't want to think that far ahead. For now he needed to get things that would ensure Harry's safety in the future.

Licking his lips, James scanned the room again and found Lily's kit of already made potions. He put that into his satchel and began to look at the ingredients on the other bookshelf. He knew the ingredients for a basic blood replenish potion and a cure for poisons, so James grabbed what he could find. He then moved toward the desk, even though he knew he would find nothing there.

He swallowed thickly as he looked down at scattered notes. Lily's handwriting had always been so elegant, like a piece of art. His handwriting was just chicken scratches. His fingers traced one of her looping letters. His eyes then looked at the pictures on her desk. One was of their wedding and the other photo was from Harry's first birthday. James swallowed again and took a step back from the desk.

He had everything he needed. He couldn't stay any longer. James reached the top of the cellar staircase and moved through a simple katon jutsu. He did not want to use magic lest wizards trace it back to him, but he also could not leave evidence of someone having been there. As he watched the fire consume the cellar he closed his eyes and began to go through the incantation. It was time to leave this world behind; it was time to get back to his son.


	7. Chapter 3: Good News!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, nor do I gain anything (but writing and editing experience) by using the plot and characters from these works. Naruto and the Harry Potter series belong to their respective creators, editors, publishers, and companies.

**Summary: **They were all trying to escape, whether it was from fate, war, grief, abuse, hate. They were all trying to escape. There are many Harry Potter spoilers for those who have not read the books, and just as many spoilers for the Naruto series.

_**A/N:**_ Please enjoy ~ dperessedchildren -edited 2/9/2013

**Key:**

_text_ is text

_spell_ you can tell when it's a spell, usually as perversion of a Latin phrase

_"dialogue" _a foreign language, the opposite language of the world they are in

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapitre trois<strong>_

* * *

><p>"Cousin Minato!" Harry mentally chided himself for expressing his happiness, but at the moment he could not care. Minato always gave the best hugs and he helped Harry forget about how much of letdown he was to his father.<p>

Harry hadn't gotten to see his cousin for a while now since the Third Ninja War broke out. Minato had been on missions almost constantly, and with Kakashi preparing for the jōnin exams, Harry hadn't gotten to see his friend either. He was so worried they wouldn't come back from one of their missions.

His father had also been on more and more missions outside of Konoha, but Kushina often stopped by because she wasn't really allowed outside of Konoha after the Kuma incident. Of course, she had her genin team to train so there were hours where Harry wasn't supervised but that didn't bother him so much, there was a war going on, it was expected.

This morning Harry's father had left to spy on some Iwa forces to the north of Konoha. For some reason, his father could complete those missions in a day, maybe it was because of his teleporting technique. Harry's father primarily obtained information from the ninja on their motives and abilities, afterwards he would report back to the Hokage with his findings and a team would be sent out to dispose of the enemy.

His father had also gained an awful lot of information about the supply lines from the Iwa-nin he spied on, and Konoha was quickly cutting off Iwa's resources. Hopefully this war would end soon, but Harry wasn't sure.

Minato engulfed the five-year-old in a tight embrace, while Kushina smiled from behind him. She mused he would be a good father, and begrudgingly her tenant agreed. The red haired woman wondered how many kids they would have, but quickly shook her head to get rid of those thoughts.

"Is Shika-san back yet?" Kushina asked as it became her turn to greet the boy. She had been watching him earlier in the day until she had to meet up with her team. Her team was primarily in charge of defense for the village and so she had much more time to train her team than Minato did these days.

"No," Harry shook his head slowly before elaborating, "Daddy's still out on his mission," he explained, after hugging the red-haired woman.

"He should have been back by now" Minato's forehead creased, had he been compromised? At least Harry would then have a chance at a normal child – what was he thinking!? Minato was horrified by his own thoughts, yet that little voice in the back of his mind insisted that it _would_ be good.

"Y-You don't think something happened?" Harry's green eyes were wider than usual, and shimmered with fear, worry, sadness, and (unfortunately) hope. Hope that his father was gone, that he wouldn't have to train anymore. Hope that his mind would not be pried into, hope that he wouldn't be hurt anymore, hope that he would never disappoint his father again.

"I'm sure he's just taking his time, perhaps he's lost or late," Minato reassured, sitting down on the couch and pulling his cousin onto his lap. So much for a nice engagement dinner, he thought to himself.

Minato had asked Kushina to marry him shortly after the war started. He would at least like to know he had her heart before he died, and she agreed. She seemed to understand why he asked when he did; they were both afraid they would not survive the war, especially with Minato on the front lines because of his hiraishin technique.

"You and Uzumaki-san are getting married?" Harry asked with a shaky voice, happiness was shining through the sadness.

Kushina looked down at her hands, she had left her engagement band in her pocket. She was prepared to whip it out after Minato explained the good news, and then shout her catch phrase while showing the band off. Pouting, it seemed those plans were ruined. The boy knew somehow.

"Sorry!" the boy blurted out, his face flushing in shame, "I can't stop it anymore," he explained with a trembling lip.

"What can't the brat stop?" Kushina asked in her usual unrefined manner. She referred to any child as brat, even Kakashi she called a brat.

Minato smiled at his cousin, patting him on the back cheerfully while on the inside he was paling. Not good. Harry had inherited the Potter family bloodline, "That's great! The bloodline continues," Minato cheered with a large wolfish smile stretching across his face.

"Oh…" Kushina's cerulean eyes shone with understanding, she forced a smile on her face while she ruffled the boy's bird's nest like hair. "That **is** great," like her fiancé she was beginning to think of the possible repercussions of a child so young coming into their bloodline limit. It wasn't always for the best when children accessed their bloodline technique early, but perhaps since this wasn't a doujutsu it would have fewer repercussions?

However, that did not change the fact that it was often too much of a strain for young children to be gaining their bloodline techniques, most prodigies did not gain their limits until six or seven at the earliest! The couple shared a glance, stormy clouds meeting clear blue skies. They would have to hope for the best.

"I guess your father also started you on mental resistance training?" Harry's body tensed in his cousin's arms, the color drained from his face, and his brilliant green eyes dulled.

"Yes," he whispered softly, his body starting to tremble.

"What exactly did Shika-san do, Nami-kun?" Kushina asked as gently as she could, omitting her usual 'brat' from the end of her question and opting to abbreviate Namikaze-kun as its replacement. She was kneeling before the child as she took his little calloused hands in hers. Callouses…she kept her repulsion from showing, but she was shaking inwardly. A five-year-old with callouses that could rival a Jōnin. She kept her temper in check, which was accomplished by Minato's calming presence and gentle hand resting on her shoulder.

"I see Daddy in my mind," Harry murmured in his inarticulate way, "He makes me bleed," the boy cried, diving into Kushina's now open arms. The boy was shaking as tears escaped his fearful green eyes. "It hurts so much!" the child exclaimed, sobbing more and more into the soft embrace. It was so comforting and such a stark contrast to the hard muscles of his father.

"What does he mean?" Kushina's usually childishly wide eyes were narrowed as she hissed at her fiancé.

"I merely pricked his finger so he would get used to mental pain, thus transferring those feelings into his mental shields," James was hanging from the ceiling, his arms folded over his chest. The couple jumped in surprise, despite being well trained ninja that had not felt his presence. James must have snuck in through one of the windows while they were talking with the distraught boy.

Harry stiffened in Kushina's arms before he pushed away from her and wiped at his tears while forcing himself to calm down. When it was proven the boy could not, he ran outside and continued his crying.

"He's five, his brain is still developing," Minato was up, his hands were clenched to his sides.

"But after a week of training his mind he was able to divert me to his mindscape. It was only in the last few years that I became able to do that. He traps me in there and leaves me face to face with his mental image. If I push I can extract memories from him. Don't you see," James had removed his mask midway through his speech, his eyes were glittering with pride, "He is twelve times the occlumense I ever was - he can handle it,"

"What is" Minato silenced Kushina with a look before he turned his stormy eyes back to his uncle.

"So you torture his mind?" Minato asked in a deadly calm voice, consequently sounding just like the man before him.

"It's training, and I've done it a grand total of two times," James fixed his nephew with a hard glare.

"I see," Minato began walking toward the door, Kushina followed behind him numbly, "I stopped by to tell you," he began as they neared the door, not once turning around. "Kushina and I are engaged," Minato let Kushina leave first before he closed the door behind him, but not before throwing one last look at his uncle and shaking his head.

"He's my son, I have a right to train him the way I see best," James stated to the empty room, his gloved hands were clenched tightly at his sides.

* * *

><p>"Good," the corner of Harry's mouth twitched upwards, unknowingly mimicking his father's expression. The five-year-old made a diving roll to the side before throwing twelve more needles at his father's clones. He knew his father was taking it easy on him, and that he would be dead in a heartbeat if the man decided to be serious, but he was proud of himself. Three of the clones dispersed in droplets of blood as they were hit in the neck, an instant kill.<p>

When sparring, his father preferred to use blood clones, as disturbing and unwelcome as they were. They were more durable, and only a killing blow could disperse them, unlike Minato's shadow clones. Speaking of shadow clones, one of Harry's took out another clone before one of James's clones made it disperse in a puff of smoke.

After mastering the normal clone technique, James convinced Minato into letting Harry learn the shadow clone technique. It was logical, given the boy's massive chakra reserves, which was expected when looking at his father and cousin. The boy had enough chakra and enough control to make one and still have more than enough energy to spare.

"Good," Harry gave his faint smile at the praise before moving into the shadows of the woods, using normal clones to distract his father's clones. He watched in the darkness as he climbed onto a low branch of a nearby tree before making his way silently into the foliage above him. James's last two clones took care of the normal clones, and began their way into the wooded area Harry had slunk away to.

Watching the clones move silently below him as they tried to sense Harry's masked chakra, the boy began to think of how to best take care of the clones. His green eyes scanned the area looking for…he smiled slightly when he found what he was looking for. He had a plan that would hopefully not fail.

One of the clones was just below him, and the other was right where Harry wanted him. Soundlessly removing a kunai from the pouch attached to his thigh, the five-year-old dropped down from his hiding place and slit the clone's throat. Out of the corner of his eye, the boy saw a kunai heading for him, just as he had anticipated.

With a puff of smoke, the approaching kunai embedded into a fallen log, said log had been behind the second clone. With one jab to the heart via a kunai, the second clone dispersed into a puddle of blood.

Clapping was heard behind the boy, which caused him to crouch into a defensive position, kunai held threateningly in front of him.

"You're lucky you pulled off that substitution jutsu," James stated, "Usually you can't complete it or do so too late," Harry nodded curtly, that technique always gave him a bit of trouble. If he could just teleport out of the way, that would be much easier.

"Son," Harry felt a familiar pressure against his mind, meaning they were moving onto a different training exercise. Harry was soon transported to a grassy clearing littered with wild flowers and lined with towering trees. There, before the small child and standing in the center of the clearing, was James. "What color are Minato's eyes?"

Harry did not respond at first. He knew what his father was doing, and it was a simple enough trick. By asking a question Harry would have to think over the answer, thus bringing up a memory, which would be projected onto the mid-day sky above them. From there, James would exploit the opening into Harry's mind and see all memories following that thread. This made it difficult to respond to his father's questions when he was inside of Harry's mind.

Focusing, the sky above them grew dark, Harry subconsciously brought up a memory of Minato, despite knowing the answer to his father's questions. The darkened sky made it impossible for James to see the memory, but did not hinder Harry in the least.

"Blue-gray, like a storm," the boy replied before the world became fuzzy and he fell over from exhaustion. It took so much energy to keep his father out, even more to hide the memories like that. The energy he used was different too, it wasn't like his chakra, it was… rawer, it was wild, hard to tame.

James retracted his mind from his son's and smiled his slight smile, proud of the boy's progress. With more training it would become second nature, at first it took much energy, but as his shields built up on top of each other it would become easier. It was like training one's muscles to perform a specific task, at first it is difficult but soon it requires little thought or effort.

* * *

><p>He was so tired, he didn't want to train anymore! He was sick of it, his arms and legs ached all the time, and it was so boring. He did the same thing every day! It was some obstacle course, followed by a lecture, after which he had to work on his speed, and then he was left practicing the four jutsus he knew. He was tired, he was annoyed, he didn't want to do this! And then, when he was supposed to be done for the day, his father would work on his mental resistance, and once a month he'd cause Harry some sort of mental pain. Harry was through with this. He was tired and he didn't like training!<p>

So what if his father was going to be disappointed, he couldn't keep doing this, it was…it was boring and exhausting. Besides, what was he going to do? If he hurt Harry too much then there went training for a few days, and Minato would probably make Hokage-sama take away his parental rights as well. Though, Minato and his team were away on a mission to stop a supply run in Iwa. Minato seemed confident it would end the war, but Harry wasn't sure. It would be Kakashi's first mission as a jōnin and though his friend was good outside of missions, while on them he was pretty one-track minded. That could cause problems if something happened.

"Son," green eyes glared up at brown, dead eyes in defiance. "Dinner's almost ready and you haven't completed your training,"

"I don't want to," if the boy wasn't mistaken, James's right eye twitched slightly.

"Really," Harry noted the stiffness in his father's jaw, implying he was clenching his teeth.

In return to his father's question, Harry nodded his head with a determined look in his eyes. James's arm tensed at his side, causing Harry to back up a bit. "Go to bed," James's voice was strained, and Harry had a feeling he was very lucky at the moment. "Now," James added, monotone voice a touch louder than usual.

Harry hurried off, but he made sure to make a large arc to avoid his father. He entered the house and went straight to his room and closed the door behind him. His heart was pounding at the act of rebellion and how he got away with it so easily. Being sent to bed, that was just what the five-year-old wanted, bed.

However, pleasant smells began to waft into his room, causing Harry's mouth to water. Silently creeping toward his bedroom door, Harry looked through the crack between the wall and the side of the door. His father was eating fish but it had black and green stuff on it. It looked like herbs, but his father…

"Bed, Son" James stated while grabbing the beer bottle beside his food. He was reading a scroll as he brought the bottle to his lips, not once did he look toward his son's room. Harry moved away from the door, his face flushed at the fact that he had been caught.

Kicking off his dirtied clothes and pulling on his pajamas, he lay down in the bed, and prepared himself for a long night. His prediction came true, for his stomach began to cramp in the middle of the night, and began rumbling slightly.

Slipping out of his bed, the five-year-old crept to his door.

"Don't think about it," the boy froze, hand prepared to slide the door open. Harry closed his eyes, his father's chakra was behind the door, but the boy could tell it was one of his blood clones. "Back to bed," perhaps he underestimated this sort of punishment.

The next morning Harry lay in his bed until he heard his father moving around in the kitchen. He came out slowly, his head bowed in shame.

"You can have breakfast if you promise to finish your training today," James stated, not even turning to look at his son.

Nodding numbly, Harry sat down at the table as he waited for his father to finish with his cooking. The man moved to the table shortly after Harry sat down. He was carrying vitamins and a glass of milk, along with the pot of rice and fish.

Harry obediently popped the chalky vitamins into his mouth before he began to eat the food slowly. "Lunch is in the refrigerator, you can have dinner if you complete your training from the day before and today's training," Harry inwardly paled, it would be nearly impossible to do so. But he would try, even if it meant skipping lunch to do it.

* * *

><p>Harry managed to complete the training, having to stay out two hours past dinner time. James let him have some rice and more vitamins; he then decided to test his son's mental capacities. By the end of the night, Harry passed out during his attempts to keep his father away from his memories.<p>

It became a routine. Either James would deny his son food or test his mental resistance, when he became disobedient. Thus, Harry tried not to be disobedient, even when he was tired of training. Harry just accepted this as his life and did his best to keep up with his father's expectations.

The only good thing was that the war was over now, Kakashi's mission succeeded but that success came at a steep price. Harry pleaded with his father to go visit Kakashi when he was in the hospital, but his father refused so Harry snuck out during the middle of the night. He knew Kakashi would need him; he had just lost Obito and now had a constant reminder of him in his left eye socket.

Harry's punishment for sneaking out had been a long lecture and a mental attack. His father had been so livid when he found him in the hospital visiting Kakashi, but for a moment Harry thought his father had been scared. It made him think of that fuzzy memory, that scary memory of when his father shook him when he was younger and yelled at him for hiding.

Harry tried not to disobey his father, but sometimes it was so hard.

* * *

><p>Kushina and Minato had a lovely wedding, one which Harry watched from the back of pavilion in the shade of a large tree. His father had him sitting on his shoulders. He was holding onto Harry tight enough to bruise. Harry was sad he had to watch the ceremony from so far away, but he was stuck with his father and so could do little about it. Kushina looked really pretty in her ceremonial garb and Minato had such a big smile and his stormy eyes were shining with such happiness.<p>

Closing his eyes, Harry decided to practice his sensing abilities. The small crowd glowed brightly for they were all high ranking ninja; however, Harry directed his focus toward the happy couple and frowned. He knew Kushina had more than one type of chakra flowing through her pathways but…an additional energy resided within her. It was nothing like the Kyūbi's energy and it was a far cry from Kushina's chakra.

What was most puzzling was the thrum of that wild energy mixed within the mysterious new chakra. In a way, it reminded Harry of Cousin Minato's mixed energies and his father too. What was that wild energy?

"Father?" Harry asked softly, he had begun to speak to his father in a more formal way after the incident in the hospital; it felt right to call him Father rather than Daddy. "Why's there another chakra in Uzumaki-san?" he asked in his rushed, inarticulate way.

"You sense energies too?" if one listened closely, they would hear the shock in James's voice. "Just like Minato," he mumbled, before shaking his head. "She must be pregnant," James answered shortly, shaking his head as his nephew gave his vows before the assembled ninja. After the wedding his nephew would be giving a different kind of vow before the whole village as he was sworn in as the Yondaime Hokage.

"Pregnant? What is pregnant about her" right, Harry's anatomy books did not cover reproduction or the acts involved, thus the boy only knew the non-reproduction definition of pregnant.

"She is pregnant, meaning a baby is growing inside of her," James could tell his son was confused, but at least he did not ask for more information. James was not very comfortable with or ready to give his five-year-old son **that** talk.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Suivre<strong>_


	8. Chapter 4: One Thing After Another

**Disclaimer: **I do not own, nor do I gain anything (but writing and editing experience) by using the plot and characters from these works. Naruto and the Harry Potter series belong to their respective creators, editors, publishers, and companies.

_**Summary:**_ They were all trying to escape, whether it was from fate, war, grief, abuse, hate. They were all trying to escape. There are many Harry Potter spoilers for those who have not read the books, and just as many spoilers for the Naruto series.

**Key:**

_text_ is text

_spell_ you can tell when it's a spell, usually as perversion of a Latin phrase

_"dialogue" _a foreign language, the opposite language of the world they are in

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapitre quatre<strong>_

* * *

><p>Harry stood in the clearing again, some of the trees had bare spots, while most of the wildflowers were dead. He regarded his father with a dead expression.<p>

"I will be testing how much mental pain you can withstand before passing out," James explained as he came forward, kunai spinning idly around one finger.

Harry took a deep breath as his father approached him, kunai poised. He began by pricking his son's finger, causing the rest of the wild flowers in the clearing to wither. Harry gritted his teeth as he held in his pain. James then made a shallow cut along his son's cheek; a small fissure appeared in the ground. Harry fell to the grassy floor whimpering in pain and biting his lip to keep from screaming, which in turn began to bleed when his teeth broke the skin. That consequently killed off a few more leaves from the surrounding trees.

James continued to poke and prod his son; each little wound killed something in the clearing or it created cracks in the grassy terrain. James seemed satisfied after ten minutes, he was proud of his son's progress, but he wondered if the boy could handle anything else. As of yet, the child had not screamed, though his fingers were embedded into the earth, clenching the dirt as if it was a life line.

Without a second's hesitation, James swept the blade across his son's chest. The ground shook beneath him, and a deep fissure appeared beside them, running across the diameter of the glade. Harry was screaming bloody murder, his arms wrapped tightly to around his chest in an attempt to staunch the blood flow. It was at this time his father left his mind, thus causing the boy to come back to the present. However, the agony was still there. His mind felt like it was splitting open.

Harry couldn't stop screaming. He clutched at his head, and tried to will the pounding to stop. Everything was too bright in the room, and his lungs were beginning to ache. It hurt so much, and there was no stopping the pain, it just kept coming. It hurt! The boy was crying as he writhed on the floor in agony. His eyes were tightly closed and his hands clenched his aching head.

James watched his son, before he knelt down beside him. Remorse flashed across his doe brown eyes. Despite those feelings, he stood up and left the child to heal on his own, it was for the best, it was for the best that he became strong. …For the best.

* * *

><p>Kushina and Minato were smiling at their place at the dining table. Kakashi was across from them seated by the wide-eyed five-year-old. Harry couldn't help but stare at Kushina. There was a large bump rising from her dress. There was a baby in there!<p>

"Son, I'm sure Uzumaki-san does not like being stared at," James chided from his place at the end of the table.

"But there's a baby," Harry whispered in wonderment, which caused Kakashi to snicker beside him. "How…?"

"That's a discussion for when you're older," Minato stated while smiling cheerfully as he looped an arm around his wife's shoulder.

"Oh I'm sure he can handle," Kushina was quickly cut off by her husband and…uncle in-law's deadpan expressions. "When you're older," she addressed the boy and smiling her too large smile.

"Okay," Harry continued to look at the bump though, as if trying to figure out how a baby got in there. Wouldn't it be dead by now, how could it breathe?

Kushina's smile faltered slightly and she scrunched up her nose, "It's always moving!" she exclaimed as she hit the table with her fist, "I blame you," she stated, glaring at her now laughing spouse. "I'm barely done with my second trimester and the kid won't stop moving or kicking, I'm fairly certain that's not normal!" she growled, her arms folded over her chest.

"It can move in there?" Harry asked, suddenly across the table and staring intensely at the rise in Kushina's dress.

Sighing in annoyance, she took the five-year-old's hand and placed it on her stomach where the baby was moving most actively. Harry's eyes grew comically wide and his mouth dropped open. James watched the whole interaction with his usual smile, a slight upward tug on either corner of his mouth. Minato was laughing with his large smile in place while Kakashi began to shake with silent laughter.

Harry eventually moved back to his seat across from the table, every now and then his green eyes would stray to the fascinating stomach opposite him. The five of them talked about work or their plans for the baby. Eventually their conversations dwindled down to nothing and they were all beginning to rise to leave. It was at this moment that James spoke, it was something he had been thinking about for a while now.

"I would like my son to be administered the Genin test," Minato paused as he was putting on his shoes, for they had migrated over to the main entrance.

"You want what?" Minato's eyes were narrowed. The cordial events of the evening no longer seemed to matter as the Hokage stared down at his uncle with an icy look.

"He's more than ready, and I'm sure the Council would be" Minato cut James off, a storm was truly raging in the young Hokage's eyes.

"Don't you dare bring them into this! He's five years old," Minato hissed. Kushina had her hands together, prepared to separate the two men with a burst of her tenant's energy or with her chakra chains if it was necessary. Meanwhile, Kakashi had moved said five-year-old behind him, who was watching the interchange with large eyes. James, for his part, remained stoic, arms folded across his chest.

"He will be six in a few weeks, I'm sure he can handle,"

"Kakashi has only recently become a Jōnin because he is finally at a decent size," Minato countered after cutting off his uncle a second time, "Cousin looks more like a three-year-old than a six-year-old, his size will be a massive disadvantage. You would be leading your son to the slaughter if you make him a Genin so young,"

"I've trained him to not let that happen," James replied evenly, confident in his teaching skills.

Minato was silent for a moment, but that did not cause Kushina to move away from her preventative position. "What if I teach him the Hiraishin jutsu?" there were gasps from everyone but James and Harry, however, Harry was trembling with excitement at the possibility of learning such a complex technique. "So when you do throw him brashly into the Genin world, he can at least have a hidden tool to protect himself better,"

"That seems a fair trade, but do not expect this to get you out of your paperwork," the serious moment was broken by Minato's grimace at the mention of paperwork.

"I doubt your clones will do you much good since they usually have one use," James stated offhandedly as he opened the front door for his guests. Kakashi was already moving toward the window, and Minato just paled further. James had a point; his clones were nearly useless when it came to doing paperwork!

* * *

><p>Minato brought his cousin into his office, which gave the boy a nice reprieve from his rigorous training schedule. While Minato had his clones sort through his paperwork, - mission requests on the left, propaganda from the council in the trash, concerns about the Kyūbi breaking free when Kushina gives birth in the trash as well, etcetera - Minato explained the theory behind the technique. Firstly, he set up a privacy and secrecy barrier that disabled any bugs in his office, as well as made sure no one could come in without permission and making it very difficult to eavesdrop.<p>

After giving the eager five-year-old almost six-year-old a rough overview, Minato handed the youth the many scrolls he wrote over the concept, including his references about space-time jutsus. From there he asked Harry to read through them while he began working on the tedious amounts of paperwork; however, Minato encouraged Harry to ask questions when he thought of them.

By the end of the day, Minato learned that that had been a mistake, Harry had many questions, brilliant questions actually, but they made getting his work done very difficult. That meant he would have James breathing down his neck along with Kushina. The only reason his uncle would be on him about his paperwork would be due to the lack of missions coming in if he fell behind on signing the forms. Having either one yelling at him, Kushina making up for James's lack of vocal variety, was not pleasant in the least.

By the end of the week, Harry had a fairly good grasp on the concept. From that point on, it was a matter of expounding upon what he now knew as well as incorporating the various jutsus that aided Minato in understanding the concepts, thus allowing him to create the technique.

Needless to say, his secretaries were not very happy with the mess they made, or the backlash of chakra that would hit against the door of his office and sometimes create a wind that would disrupt their work place. At least Minato was keeping up with his paperwork…

After a month of Harry getting the basics down of space-time jutsus, the boy was back to reading the scrolls. Since Harry completed the basics, the scrolls he was given suddenly made much more sense; the Hiraishin now seemed more possible. It was during this time that Minato had a little breakdown.

"Why the hell am I Hokage?" he asked tiredly, glaring down at the forms in front of him. "I'm not meant to be locked indoors. This monotonous life is not what I was expecting. I haven't fought in months, I don't have time to train, all I do is paperwork," Minato sighed before picking up his preferred writing tool and forcing himself back to work.

"You're protecting people, Konoha is your responsibility," Harry sated slowly as he looked up from the scroll, his words came out clearly for a change. "You're the best ninja in the village and all the paperwork you go through will help Konoha in some way," Minato looked at his cousin, a small smile in place.

"I know, it's just…easy to forget," Harry nodded, smiling slightly at his cousin in turn. "Thank you, Cousin," Minato whispered before he moved back to his loathsome enemy, paperwork.

* * *

><p>It was a good thing Harry was well versed in the art of throwing; it made the next steps to the Hiraishin technique much easier for Minato to teach him. It was September and Harry had come a long way in such a short amount of time. He could talk fluently and knowledgably about space-time techniques with Minato, and could perform a few minor forms of the space-time jutsus. But now was the time for Minato to explain how chakra flowed through one's body while completing the jutsu, since there were no hand signs for it.<p>

Minato closed his eyes and focused on his cousin's chakra as he circulated it correctly through his body. "Good…" The six-year-old continued to circulate his chakra around his body, spreading it through him in the correct pattern.

"I want you to spar with Hatake-kun and try to keep your chakra circulating that way; I'll send a clone to observe the session. Once you have this down, it will only be a matter of sending yourself either to the marked senbon's location or wherever you are looking at," Harry nodded, making sure his body continued to circulate his chakra the way Minato described. "You really only mark objects when traveling a great distance, or do not have a clear line of sight for where you're going," Harry nodded again, excitement shining in his eyes.

* * *

><p>It was chaos. People screaming everywhere, and the acrid smoke of burning bodies stung his lungs, and made him feel sick. The ground shook and without having to close his eyes, Harry could see the Kyūbi's chakra pulsating far away from the village. He had been abandoned in a now crumbling building. Screams reached his ears as those trapped in the building next to them burned to death.<p>

How was** this** a safe place? His father brought him away from their home and into the market area, an area which was now ablaze. There were other children in here; soot already dirtied their faces as smoke began to seep into their building. Fear also decorated their eyes, fear of dying, and fear of losing their loved ones.

Harry kept low to the ground, but it was still difficult to breathe. His father must have sealed off the door somehow, for no matter how hard Harry ran into it, it would not budge. It was as if a force field was pushing him back. The other children were huddled together crying, praying, and wishing for something to rescue them from their slowly approaching death.

The screams grew louder, and the heat was rising. Belatedly, the six-year-old realized the other children were now screaming because the building had caught fire. To add to the smell of burning flesh was the scent of burning plaster which made up the walls of the building.

Harry clenched his eyes closed; he didn't want to see what would happen when the fire finally reached them. However, while he had his eyes closed he noticed a swirling energy around the door. It felt like the rawer, wilder energy inside his father… It suddenly came to him! His father **had** placed a barrier on the door and windows.

The more he looked at it, the more sense it made, the more he understood its purpose. If he focused he could…bend the energy another way, maybe even dispel it. Opening his eyes, Harry could still see the energy moving and shimmering like some ethereal light. He pushed some of his wild energy toward the remnants of his father's energy. It began to shift, and soon the energy dissolved before his eyes. To make sure that was the case he closed his eyes and focused once more.

"Follow me," he called to the children, now able to open the door. They quickly scurried out of the building and out into the burning, crumbling village.

Green eyes darted around; the buildings would soon come toppling down into the streets. They had to move to some better form of shelter. Harry knew where to go. They would go to the Hokage Monument, the overhanging rock should catch any collapsing debris. Plus, it was far from the current fires, which should allow the ninjas plenty of time to douse the flames before they reached the mountain.

Harry led the kids to their new refuge. All of them huddled together, and watched as the village slowly burned and the roars of the Kyūbi rattled their ear drums, despite being kilometers upon kilometers away. After an indeterminable amount of time the roars stopped, the ground ceased to rumble, but the cackling of fires continued.

The Kyūbi couldn't be dead, there was too much chakra for it to… Closing his eyes, Harry sought out the familiar demonic chakra, and to his surprise, it was now mixing with a chakra he had seen before, a chakra that had been hidden within Kushina…

Cousin Minato's baby was the new Kyūbi vessel, meaning the Kyūbi was released during the childbirth, which means Kushina's…she's dead. Harry focused on the area he felt the Kyūbi's chakra at, Cousin Minato had been fighting it, but….but he was gone too! Cousin Minato sacrificed himself to seal the demon inside of his own child.

Harry knew he wasn't supposed to cry, but he couldn't help it, he couldn't stop crying.

* * *

><p>Kakashi was the first one to find them, he had a bundle in his arms that he was carrying toward the Hokage Tower. Harry already knew what was in the foureen-year-old Jōnin's arms.<p>

"Is it a boy or a girl?" He asked weakly as he moved closer to the baby in Kakashi's arms.

"Boy," Kakashi replied stiffly, his voice gruff with emotion. He had lost everyone from Team Minato now, and Harry could practically feel Kakashi's grief.

Kakashi crouched down next to the six-year-old who hesitantly reached out his hands.

"Naruto…" he whispered, as he locked emerald eyes with hazy blue.

It was in that moment that the child was transported to a dim place, a cell lay before him, the Kyūbi raging behind it. Minato was there, along with Kushina. Harry could see chakra connecting them to the seal on the Kyūbi's door, Minato must have…

"Cousin," Minato addressed Harry while he and his wife continued to struggle with the demon fox. They were trying to suppress its chakra and keeping it behind the seal's cage. Minato broke Harry's train of thought, though the boy was happy to hear his voice, if only for one last time.

"You're both…" Harry's tears were renewed, and he wiped at them furiously.

"Dead?" Kushina supplied in her usual brash manner, "Believe it! Now either help us suppress this fur ball or get out!" Kushina had her sleeves rolled up as the portion of her spirit fought with the enraged demon, her chakra chains were forcing it into submission but it seemed the demon's brush with freedom had strengthened it.

"What do I need to do?" Harry asked from his place behind them, his voice was soft and unsure. He didn't want to be a hindrance, and he didn't want to mess anything up.

"Focus on our energy, I know you can sense chakra," Minato started to explain, his hands moved in a series of complex signs. "Try to emulate the way we are sending our chakra to the seal, it will help suppress the Kyūbi," Harry nodded with determination.

With his mental image's eyes closed, he studied the way his cousins' chakra moved toward the seal. It took a little while, but soon Harry was contributing to the taming of the Kyūbi. In a short time Naruto and the Kyūbi would be coexisting "happily."

Harry felt faint but he forced himself to remain present as Minato and Kushina turned around to face him. The Kyūbi was growling lowly behind them, but it was held down by chains. Kushina and Minato were beginning to fade, but the boy had several important questions, mostly pertaining to Naruto.

"Hey brat!" Kushina was fading faster than Minato, perhaps less of her soul had been transferred into the seal? "Take care of my kid, alright?" Again, Harry gave a determined nod.

"I might wish for the village to regard my son as a hero, but I know they never will. Too many people have died this night for them to disassociate Naruto from the Kyūbi," Harry nodded slowly; however, he was not sure how people would mistake Naruto for a big fiery demon fox. "I want you to take care of Naruto, maybe even coax Kakashi-kun into joining you," Minato had that wolfish smile on his face again, and at this moment it made Harry smile despite bringing tears to his eyes. This would be the last time he'd see that smile…

"But keep him away from Ja-Shika" Minato corrected himself, not sure if the boy had heard his father's name before, "I'd like him to have a childhood," Minato's soul was fading rapidly into the seal, his image steadily became more and more transparent.

"I won't let him near Naruto," Harry vowed as the world grew dark around the edges of his vision. But the boy did note that the scenery was changing to a blank white space. Just as Harry was about to pass out, he saw a newborn baby lying in the center of the blank space, it was Naruto's mental image… "I'll protect you," Harry whispered as darkness claimed him.

Kakashi gave a cry of shock when his six-year-old friend suddenly collapsed. Of course James chose that exact moment to arrive. Kakashi backed away from the usually stoic ANBU and cradled the baby to his chest in a protective manner as he eyed the ANBU warily. Hopefully he wouldn't be blamed for this.

* * *

><p>"Please Hokage-sama!?" Harry could barely see over the desk as he pleaded with the Sandaime. Sarutobi was grimacing as he regarded the desperation in the child's eyes.<p>

"You are six, you are not an adult, and the Council will not see any merit in leaving the child with his family, even if it was his parents' dying wish," the words seemed to pain the aged man, and regret etched his wrinkled visage. Clearly he wished to leave Naruto in his care, or at the very least, in Kakashi's care…

"Perhaps Shika" Sarutobi was cut off by Harry's chilling glare.

"They told me to keep Naruto away from him, to give him a childhood," the child stated in a glacial, even tone that remained effective despite his inarticulate speech.

"Then you would have to take the Genin test, there is no other way you could move out of your house, which you would need to do if you were raising Naruto and Shika-san must not be near him," the old man's words brought hope to the child, but the man was not done thinking out loud. A plan was already forming, though most of the details had worked themselves out during the first part of his speech. "But no landlord in their right mind would rent an apartment out to a six-year-old, which would mean you'd have to live with someone of at least Chuunin rank, preferably Jōnin if the person is younger than twenty…"

Harry could see where the old man was going, and could not help but smile. "So I should pass the Genin test and move in with Hatake-san?"

"Hmm…? Oh yes! Hatake-kun does fit that description nicely, doesn't he," Harry had to bite the insides of his mouth to keep from laughing.

Though the old man began to frown again, granted Harry could tell it was for show, "Though that would bring up the matter of your Genin team…" Sarutobi was now stroking his gray beard in feigned thought, "If you were a co-guardian of the feared "demon vessel"" the Hokage held his hand up at this point, as if to say that was the general public's opinion, not his. This abated Harry's anger slightly, well…it actually just directed the anger back at the general public, "you would become a target, thus requiring an unbiased yet powerful teacher. A teacher that would regard Naruto in a good light and could take both of you out of the village if needed,"

Harry was completely lost now, who was this teacher? Who was powerful, had a good standing with Minato and so would love Naruto, as well as be allowed to leave the country at will…

There was a loud crash off to the side, which caused Harry jerk his head toward the now open office door. There was a flushed and frazzled looking secretary giving her apologizes as an old man began to yell at the Hokage.

"I sneezed just now, were you talking about me?" the old man had long white hair that reached past his bottom, and he had red lines on his face. Harry deduced that the man was prone to smiling broadly and making funny faces, due to the laugh lines around his mouth and his crow's-feet. The man also wore a red, gray, and black outfit with a few accents of green on his vest like thing.

"Hmm…? Ah yes! You would fit a powerful ninja with the ability to leave the country and possessing a deep fondness for anything related to Namikaze-kun," Harry regarded the old, but younger than Sarutobi, man owlishly.

"How could Naruto leave with us?" Harry asked, turning back to the Sandaime. Harry's supposed "sensei" was in some sort of open mouth, disbelieving stupor and so bored the child. "Hatake-san will be his real parent, right?"

"Yes, but Hatake-kun would have a hard time starting as a Jōnin while fending off assassination attempts on Naruto and raising the baby," the other man was still in his stupor, but at least his gray eyes traveled between the two talking.

"And the Council's not going to mind me taking Naruto with us?" Harry asked, his head tilted to the side and his brows furrowed slightly.

"Considering they're already talking about creating him into an emotionless weapon of mass destruction…" Sarutobi stated blandly, one eyebrow was raised slightly as a challenge for the boy to refute his logic.

"So Hatake-san adopting him and Naruto going with me on a training mission would be passed off as…making him into a…weapon?" Sarutobi smiled in a way that scrunched up his eyes, which made them appear as if they were twinkling at the bright six-year-old.

"Can I take the Genin test now?" Sarutobi nodded and ushered the boy out of the room before he brought his old student out of his stupor.

* * *

><p>It took a little convincing, but the Council was finally won over. Both he and Danzo had been offering to morph the docile newborn into Konoha's own secret weapon. However, the Council agreed that having a Sannin help train the infant, along with the Hatake prodigy, would likely create the best weapon, one that was heavy hitting yet versatile.<p>

Jiraiya was a crestfallen to hear that a fourteen-year=old Jōnin would be adopting his student's son rather than him. But, Sarutobi told him straight out that Jiraiya would only corrupt the boy, something even the council feared; who needed another super pervert? At least this way they would both be happy. Naruto would be too young to be corrupted by Jiraiya's perverted ways, and Kakashi would have time to grow and become more capable of protecting the infant.

James was a whole other matter.

He was livid! They were going to take his son away! Sure he was proud, happy even. His son was now a Genin, but how could he protect Harry with him moving out. And he was moving into that Cyclops's house! The only consolation was the fact that his son would be trained by one of the legendary Sannin, granted, said Sannin was also one of the country's biggest perverts. To add to matters, he was going to be taking care of the demon. Yes it was the Cyclops's legal kid, but James knew Harry would be the one raising him.

James rationale would often remind him that the baby was not the demon it carried, but it was difficult for him to accept that. It did not help that Kushina had been an excellent Jinchūriki, and his nephew a great shinobi. That should reassure him that their child would be a fine vessel for the demon, but it still worried him. What if the couple had put too much faith in their own offspring? In addition, Naruto was likely to be attack by his parents' enemies, and that would put his son in unneeded danger. James also knew that taking care a baby and child would soften Harry. Harry would slack off in his training to care for that child, and the ANBU shuddered to think where that would lead. After Lily had Harry, James practically stopped his auror training, and then with hiding from Voldemort he really had to stop his training, but he never picked it back up; because there was his wife and their precious little baby, and it was more important to be with them than training to protect them.

James saw so much of Lily in his son already. He just knew Harry would give his life to protect that damn baby… just like her. It was for that reason he saw his kin as a demon rather than the innocent baby he was. That baby would kill his son, one way or another.

How could he possibly protect his son now? How would he spend his free time if he couldn't train his son? James had tried to contest the Hokage and the Council's rulings, but they were obstinate.

Perhaps it was for the best? Harry would learn how to take care for himself and others, he would be under a different teaching regime which would allow him to flourish as a ninja, and he would have time to digest all of James's teachings.

Grinding his teeth together, James decided it was time to pay a certain Toad Sage a visit.

* * *

><p>"Jiraiya-sensei?" Harry eyed the rather pale man cautiously. He was twitchy and seemed sensitive to light…Harry was familiar with those symptoms and quickly shot his father a look. In return, James just raised an eyebrow before crouching down and holding his son's arms.<p>

"I want to know if he takes you to any brothels, public bath houses, or casinos," James stated, causing the already pale man to jump. This reaction caused the corner of James's mouth to twitch upwards.

"Be safe," He released his hold on Harry after the six-year-old nodded his head slowly. He then walked over to the now backing away Sannin, and James's expression was distorted by a cruel smile. Taking a quick glance at his son, James noted the boy was saying goodbye to Kakashi, as well as taking the baby from him. James's smile grew as he leaned in slightly to whisper to the shaking legend.

"Last night was only a taste of the hell I can give you. Defile my son in any way and you'll spend a few more hours under that **pretty** "red light"," James then apparated away, thus leaving a shaking ninja in his wake. The forbidden curses were not forbidden here, and for that James was quite thankful.

"Bye Namikaze-kun" Kakashi shifted his weight from foot to foot. Harry nodded as he took the bundle out of Kakashi's arm with a surprising gentleness. "Have you memorized the books I gave you?" Kakashi asked nervously. He had bought several parenting books on how to take care of children for the both of them. Thanks to Obito's present he was able to memorize the contents in an hour, and so passed them off to the six-year-old.

"Yes," Harry whispered, his eyes moved away from the child in his arms to look into Kakashi's remaining cobalt eye.

The child was transported into Kakashi's mindscape, he had done so accidentally on several occasions, but he meant to this time. The main reason he did so now was because he knew how frightening Kakashi's mind appeared, but whenever Harry paid a visit it would brighten up a little. Kakashi's mind would need to brighten before Harry left.

"Nami-kun?!" Kakashi's mental image reared back slightly, and he stumbled into a dust covered piece of furniture.

The young teen's mind was that of his old family home, however it was dilapidated. There was a dried pool of blood in the center of the decrepit room, signifying the emotional trauma of his father's suicide. There were other signs of his psychological damage, a portrait of Team Minato hung in tatters on the wall, and walls that were molded or had their wallpaper peeling off. There were floorboards missing, and most of the room was covered in dust or spider webs.

"Take care Hatake-san," Harry stated, as he rushed towards the older boy to give him a hug. Kakashi's mental image returned the hug with zealous. He held the boy tightly and burrowed his masked face into Harry's shoulder.

"Be careful, I don't think I could lose you too," it was a quiet statement, yet thick with emotion.

"Then same to you," Harry countered just as soft. He closed his eyes tightly, "Naruto and I will be home before you know it!" though the boy whispered this, it was firm and determined. "You're my best friend Hatake" Kakashi cut off the boy with a laugh.

"Then call me Kakashi, Nami-kun" Kakashi stated, using Kushina's abbreviation for Harry's name.

The two pulled away from each other at this point, both smiling their marginal smiles at each other; however, in Kakashi's case it was a slight upward curve to the youth's visible eye.

The building actually looked a little better now. Some of the cobwebs were gone, and some of the wallpaper grew back. "Then again, I'm you're only friend," Kakashi teased the other boy softly, his trained eyes already caught the differences in the room.

"That doesn't change the fact that you're one of my precious people," Harry's rebuttal brought a larger smile to Kakashi's face, which meant his visible eye made an upside down 'u'.

Harry retracted his mind from the fourteen-year-old's, noting his father was gone and Jiraiya looked paler than before. "Bye," he whispered as he shifted Naruto around a little. He would require help transferring the baby into the carrier thing that strapped onto Harry's chest.

Shouldering his pack, the six-year-old turned to the Sannin, "Are we ready to go?" he asked after getting help from Kakashi to put the sleeping Naruto into the baby carrier.

"The sooner we leave the better," Jiraiya whispered shakily. He did not know what exactly the boy's father did to him, but he did not like that crucio jutsu one bit! He disliked the mental attack even more, but either way, both left him screaming in agony.

* * *

><p><strong><em>A Suivre<em>**

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN:_**_Here is another scene I couldn't figure out where to put into the story but it clears up some of what was said in this chapter, as well as a few things in much later chapters. Again, not really edited as much as the rest of this. Anyways here it is:_

Sarutobi Hiruzen disguised his sigh as an exhale of pipe smoke.

As soon as the smoke cleared from the Kyuubi attack he was dragged into the council chamber and reappointed Hokage. Now the council was trying to figure out what to do with 'the demon child'. At least the clan heads were being semi reasonable, throw Naruto into an orphanage. It was already unanimous that the jinchuuriki should not be with his relatives, even if it was the last will of Namikaze Minato and Kushina.

At least the clans weren't suggesting what Danzo, Koharu, and Homura were. Homura suggested burning the infant to death, thus riding the village of an unstable demon that certain legendary Uchiha could potentially control again. Koharu suggesting drowning Naruto like one would an unfit pup. It was a head ache. Even Danzo was suggesting training the boy so he would be on the front lines, thus likely to die.

"What if we trained him so that his container would be a benefit to the village, so that it would be our ultimate protector? Look at the other nations, the jinchuuriki within their villages are valued warriors, could not Naruto become like his fellow jinchuuriki?" the clan heads inclined their heads in agreement, yet it all fell upon the three old council members.

"But if we give the demon an opportunity to learn it could level our village!" Koharu shrieked.

"If we leave him untrained, that could happen on accident if he was pushed into a position where he must use his tenant's energy. With training he could learn to control it without negative backlash," sometimes he wondered why he needed them, they caused more harm than good it seemed.

"Who would teach a demon?" Homura asked with a derisive laughter in his voice.

"ROOT would accept him, I suppose. He could become a fine addition to our ranks with time. As would young Namikaze," the old Hokage managed not to tense and pale at the slightly scared man's words.

"Yes, I suppose they both would, but my concern is what an emotionally unstable jinchuuriki could do. I am sorry Danzo, but your operatives are not the most sane youth," the Hokage knew he had support from the clan heads, but those with the most say did not seem to care.

"Give me at least a week to find a suitable guardian. A guardian that is strong, and will make Naruto strong in turn," Koharu and Homura pursed their lips in thought.

"Yes, we should not rush such plans, for grievous mistakes abound when one does so," Koharu stated sagely, nodded her head as she spoke.

"Exactly," Homura agreed, thus leaving Danzo to begrudgingly agree to his fellow council member's words.

He needed to find Naruto a guardian fast! He wondered if Jiraiya might consider…no the council would never allow that. One pervert without match is enough; there is no need for another one to come into existence. Then who else is there? Hatake-kun? No, he would never agree…alas, Namikaze-kun was too young. Oh what to do, what to do. Sarutobi was sure something good would come of this all; that everyone involved would be happy with the product. But the question remained how?


	9. Chapter 5: Wow! Seals

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, nor do I gain anything (but writing and editing experience) by using the plot and characters from these works. Naruto and the Harry Potter series belong to their respective creators, editors, publishers, and companies.

**_Summary:_ **They were all trying to escape, whether it was from fate, war, grief, abuse, hate. They were all trying to escape. There are many Harry Potter spoilers for those who have not read the books, and just as many spoilers for the Naruto series.

_**A/N:**_ This chapter does have some very suggestive themes in it, I mean it's Jiraiya, what do we expect; however, it is not explicit just implicit. Let me know if I should raise the rating, I originally had this at M but that seemed like overkill, though I do get paranoid about ratings. Anyways, please enjoy ~ dperessedchildren -edited 2/9/13

**Key:**

_text_ is text

_spell_ you can tell when it's a spell, usually as perversion of a Latin phrase

_"dialogue" _a foreign language, the opposite language of the world they are in

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><p><em><strong>Chapitre cinq<strong>_

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><p>Jiraiya and Harry had not gone far before they set up camp due to Jiraiya's debilitated state. Harry caught some fish while Jiraiya watched over the newborn, well he was almost a week old by this point, but for all intents and purposes he was a newborn.<p>

Jiraiya watched the young baby fondly; his features softened as he the little baby scrunched his nose in his sleep. Like most new infants, Naruto's body was unbelievably (to the sannin) small; his little fingers seemed fragile even as they clenched tightly to his swaddle. The baby was also starting to develop wild blonde locks, just like his father. Though the hair was fine, Jiraiya could see by the way it was growing in that the boy would have a bird's nest for hair just like Jiraiya's new and old Konoha students.

Naruto. That was the boy's name, and it made the old man smile. Minato named his child after the main character in Jiraiya's first book, whom Jiraiya named him after Nagato. He should visit his old students. Perhaps while they were traveling around the world they'd pop their heads into Amegakure.

Harry returned during Jiraiya's musing, and presented the fish to the old man. It took a few minutes until the Sannin acknowledged the boy's presence. "What do I do?" he asked, having caught two gilled creatures. He understood that he was to catch food, and that eating most animals raw could induce sickness. He was also aware that he needed to cook the fish, but how?

"You cook it," Jiraiya stated dryly, while his gray eyes shifted back to the sleeping baby in his arms.

"How?" the Sannin looked back up at the kid, and wanted to smack himself in the head. Of course a six-year-old wouldn't know how to cook for himself, and if he did then Jiraiya wanted to talk to the kid's parents and there better be a damn good explanation for that. Then again, this boy's parent he would rather avoid in the future…

"Alright, brat," Jiraiya heaved a sigh as he forced himself up on wobbly legs. Man! Whatever that crucio thing was, it really took a lot out of him, and what was with that stick in the ANBU's hand?

"Take Naruto and watch closely," Jiraiya ordered as he passed off the infant, and gestured for the boy to sit next to him while he began to prepare the fish for cooking.

He set the fish on a rock slab after putting a metal plate on its surface. He then withdrew a scaling knife from the cooking utensils and began. First came the tedious chore of 'descaling' it, only after doing so could he chop off the head. Jiraiya then proceeded to cut along the belly and the back so he could remove the bones and insides with greater ease. Harry watched closely with his face scrunched up in unease, while he subconsciously moved the sleeping baby to face his chest and away from the atrocious smell.

"Got it?" Jiraiya asked after he finished the first fish, Harry nodded slowly in return, "Good, now it's your turn," he then set down the knife and began to wipe off his hands before taking the baby from Harry.

As the six-year-old set to work by imitating what the older man had done, Jiraiya harried him through the whole process, and teased Harry when he looked ready to be sick. It was for the best that the boy knew how to cook, in a few years (hopefully ten) he would be on missions by himself and would need to learn how fend for himself. It was best to learn how to cook now while he was still a Genin, rather than make an attempt at cooking when he was a Jōnin and end up dying from food poisoning.

With two fish ready to be cooked, Jiraiya motioned for the boy to get out a campfire skillet and place it over their fire. Once the meat was set to cook, an awkward silence filled their campsite.

"So… what was your name, Sarutobi-Sensei only ever referred to you as Namikaze-kun" the sizzling of meat filled the air as Harry sat before the fire watching it.

"That's my name," he replied softly as he tried not to frown or cry. Ninja didn't cry, he reminded himself.

"No first name?" Jiraiya joked, only to regret his words as the boy shook his head violently with tears slipping silently down his face.

"No," the boy wiped at his eyes vigorously in an attempt to keep his face dry.

"Meaning you really do not have a first name or no one will tell you it?" Jiraiya already knew the answer and shook his head angrily. How could anyone deny a child the right of having a name? Harry just remained silent and glared at the fire as the fish continued to bubble and spit in the hot iron pan.

"Then… you won't mind if I just call you brat, will ya?" Jiraiya asked after the silence had stretched for half a minute.

Harry looked over at him with his reddening puffy eyes and gave a small smile. "Uzumaki-san called me that," he whispered after giving his consent to that nickname.

"I bet she did," Jiraiya replied in an equally soft voice with a slight smile on his face. This kid wasn't so bad; maybe teaching him wouldn't be such a chore.

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><p>By the next day Jiraiya felt much better, but he was still a touch pale and wobbly. To pass yesterday afternoon and night, he gave the six-year-old several scrolls to read, all of them pertained to the science behind seals. As they traveled that day, he handed the boy more scrolls, seeing that Harry had finished the ones from yesterday.<p>

He was perturbed by the boy's ability to read at such a young age, though the boy was six and he was a prodigy. Granted, when Jiraiya thought about it, most children began to read at five, and most prodigies began reading when they were four. Most prodigies were capable of reading adequately by age five or six… however, unlike most six-year-olds, the boy rarely stopped to ask him a question over the meaning of a word. He also read quickly, and with an ease Jiraiya was unaccustomed to seeing in most Genin when pertaining to such a heavy concept.

Jiraiya eyed the boy as they continued their walk out of fire country. They were going to make for Kumogakure. Despite the conflicts in the past, namely Kumogakure kidnaping Uzumaki Kushina and constantly trying to amass power by stealing other countries' secrets, Jiraiya had made a good friend in the jinchūriki named B. He also had an informant he hoped to meet with while there, not to mention some of the women there were so…so fiery!

He was shivering in anticipation of the chases he would get into! However, the blood stopped flowing "down there" when he recalled what the brat's overprotective father had said. No bath houses! How was he supposed to do any research now? And he couldn't go into bars with a little kid, but that was where he got most of his information and met his informants.

"Are you researching new techniques? Are they water jutsus? And what informants?" Jiraiya jumped when the boy broke his distressed train of thought.

"I spoke aloud?" Jiraiya asked with a squeak in his voice.

However, Jiraiya put his concerns away when he saw the boy flush with shame and look away. "I-I'm sorry," he whispered, his face pulled into a grimace.

"Did you do something?" the Sannin asked slowly as he moved ahead a little to regard the boy more closely. Harry looked guilty.

"I can't help it!" Harry exclaimed with frustration lining his voice. "When I look at people I just – I just see their thoughts!" Harry's face was distorted with regret, frustration, and shame.

"Is that your bloodline technique?" at the boy's weak nod, Jiraiya wondered if he should reconsider their plans on Kumogakure. The country would be eager for such a bloodline.

"Brat, we're going to Kumogakure, and they're always looking for new weapons, do you think you can contain your bloodline technique when we're there?" Harry made a contemplative expression, not once faltering in his step.

"I don't know, but I could try not talking, that way no one would know I knew what they were thinking," Harry suggested in his childish and inarticulate voice before picking up where he left off in the scroll.

The more Harry read the scrolls, the more sense every jutsu made. It was like a light clicked on in the boy's head. Seals were the secret behind everything! They were like a medium through which one's chakra passed and was amplified. Hand signs were one form of seals, though few would believe it. Traditionally, one would think of a seal as something restrictive, something that either contributes to power or locks it away. In actuality, they were so much more and Harry only now understood this.

Seals could lengthen the effect of a jutsu, such as a transformation technique, but there were several other types of jutsus this applied to. Seals also strengthened the power behind a jutsu as well as increasing the success rate of the technique. A common example of this was the use of hand signs, most jutsus did not require them once the chakra pattern was mastered, but ninjas still used them to focus the chakra used and to amplify the power of the attack.

Seals could also specialize an attack, or be fit to complete one specific goal. Harry's father mentioned one such case. He had apprehended a ROOT operative that was planning treason, and when Ibiki interrogated the boy, the child could not reveal anything despite his desire to spill out information. James explained to Minato that Danzo had silenced the boy with a seal. A seal specialized to keep information about the conniving old council member secret.

So fascinating!

As Harry thought about the other specific seals he had seen, he recalled the seal on the Kyūbi's cage. The one when Kushina was the vessel and the new one of Naruto's were very different from each other. They both held the same purpose, but Naruto's had greater reinforcements. Said reinforcements included a small part of both the boy's parents' souls guarding the seal. There was also a part to the seal that would keep the Kyūbi from interacting with Naruto until the boy became cognizant of it and needed its help, such as in a life threatening or highly emotional situation. From what Harry could gather, Kushina always knew of her tenant, and always had access to the demon. In addition, little by lite, the Kyūbi's chakra was merging with Naruto's, thus adding to the boy's natural chakra reserves.

The boy turned his attention to the baby strapped to Jiraiya's chest. Perhaps it was best for the boy to be oblivious of his tenant, but what if something should happen to the baby? What if the Kyūbi could benefit the boy more than harm him? It would have to be when the infant had developed a strong sense of himself, a strong will.

The six-year-old returned to his reading, determined to understand more.

* * *

><p>Jiraiya had just finished quizzing the boy over seals, and felt humbled. It had only been a week, and he had only given the boy scrolls on seal theory! He had never seen someone take to the study so quickly or understand it so naturally. Even Minato paled in comparison to the boy's grasp on seal theory. The next step would be application of common seals, and once the boy became proficient at that, it would be onto specialized seals.<p>

When the Toad Sage took on this job, he had anticipated spending at least six months on seal theory before spending a year on common seals, thereafter proceeding to complex and specialized seals. After four years of perfecting that, he would teach the boy how to make his own seals and modify preexisting seals. However, his plans were thrown to the wayside in the first week of being the brat's teacher.

Jiraiya regarded the young prodigy across from him. They were in a hotel in some small village on the outskirts of Yugakure. It had magnificent hot springs, heavenly to be exact. Since they were hot springs and not bath houses, Jiraiya felt confident he could get some research done. But now he had to think over what he was going to teach the boy, especially if he continued to learn at this rate.

"Hot spring time~!" Jiraiya sang as he shot up from his seat, an idea had come to him.

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><p>As stated before, the hot springs were heavenly, heaven on earth, the greatest thing since orgasms…yes definitely as wonderful as orgasms, especially since they were all open air! He could hear the soft conversations of women just on the other side of a rock divider, and their occasional giggles sent shivers down his spine.<p>

Though, Jiraiya reminded himself that it was not the time to get distracted by feminine presences, especially with an impressionable six-year-old and infant in his company. Said six-year-old was currently walking across the water, occasionally his foot would sink into the spring and he would wince before adjusting his chakra flow to keep him atop the water.

Jiraiya had been shocked to find out the boy did not know how to water walk, despite having perfect control of his chakra and being a master at wall walking. So, he had the boy walk across the hot spring while Jiraiya washed little Naruto in his baby bath. Of course it was filled with warm water from the hotel, **not** the hot spring water.

For Harry, this was quite difficult, having to circulate his chakra in the pattern for the Hiraishin while also having to regulate the amount of chakra he put into his feet. The way chakra flowed for the Hiraishin did not affect the way other jutsus were performed, but it was awkward to have to constantly redirect the way his chakra wanted to naturally go while performing jutsus.

From what Minato had told him, once his body's chakra began circulating that way naturally, he'd be only one step away from mastering the technique. The last step was having the technique come to him like second nature. This would reduce the strain on his chakra to the point where the technique would almost become effortless, and he could do it without depleting too much chakra.

It worked this way for many techniques. Once one's body, mind, and chakra became used to the new method, to the point where it came naturally, there would be hardly any strain to the user. Of course with eye techniques it was very different, especially since over use usually led to blindness.

Without really thinking, Harry cast his attention to Naruto, who was crying at having soap fall into his eyes. In a blur that startled Harry, the boy was at the edge of the water next to the baby and he started to fall. The edge of the pool was gravitating upwards to meet his head, or so it seemed to the stunned six-year-old.

Jiraiya was in shock, but he quickly caught the boy before he split his head open. The boy had just moved from the other side of the pool in – in not even a blink of the eye! Jiraiya stared at the boy's afterimage on the other side of the hot spring.

Harry was trembling as he pulled himself out of the hot water. The old man seemed to be too shocked to tend to Naruto, so the six-year-old began to gently rinse the soap from the baby's eyes.

"How…?" Jiraiya finally asked after Harry finished cleaning up the baby and was now drying him off. The six-year-old was sitting at the edge next to the old man, Naruto was in his lap as he patted the baby's skin dry, while he dangled his feet in the water.

"I didn't mean to," at the skeptical look, Harry flushed and bowed his head. "Cousin Minato taught me everything about the Hiraishin and he told me to change the way my chakra went so I could do the technique," Harry elaborated, a slight frown marred his features.

"How does circulating your chakra a specific way make you complete the technique?" Jiraiya asked in a not amused voice. It was clear the boy was drained from the technique, hell, the child could have gone into a coma from chakra depletion.

"A lot of jutsus work that way," Harry mumbled as he looked down at the small head resting against his chest.

"Really?" Jiraiya's unimpressed question made Harry flush slightly in frustration.

"For the technique your chakra has to flow a certain way, that makes it so you don't have to use hand signs," half of the boy's words were rushed together, a trait common in most children when they wanted to explain themselves.

"You know how after getting a technique down," the child began again, now trying a new angle to make the older man understand, "It's a lot easier to do it, it takes less energy"

"Yes, your muscles, mind, and chakra are used to functioning in that manner so the technique becomes…" the light clicked on in Jiraiya's head as he began to trail off. "Alright then, what else did he teach you," the Sannin challenged, not one cell in his brain thought about the giggling on the other side of the rocks.

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><p>"So…" Harry had his legs crossed as he sat on the floor and Naruto lay on a blanket in front of him. The now two and a half week old seemed content to nap while his caretakers had a staring competition.<p>

"The key behind the Rasengan," Harry continued slowly, managing to articulate his words correctly. "Is upsetting the chakra to the point where it makes its own ball. Sort of like a cat batting at a balloon?" the six-year-old reasoned, his eyes narrowed as Jiraiya formed another Rasengan in his hand.

He could see the faint lines of chakra as they circulated in a chaotic pattern. Closing his eyes, he could see the flow better. The chakra was circulating clockwise and counterclockwise. The inner part of the orb was rotating counterclockwise, while the exterior rotated in the opposite direction, encasing the other but both feeding into each other. The result was a powerful sphere of chakra that would eventually rotate on its own.

"Brat!" Jiraiya's yell caused Harry to snap his eyes open, but it also made Naruto cry out in alarm. Harry gave the old man a glare while he picked up the distraught baby and lulled him back to sleep.

"You weren't paying attention," Jiraiya justified, with his arms folded over his chest and puffing out his cheeks. Stupid brat, not even paying attention to his elder when he's about to teach said brat an extremely special jutsu!

"I see the chakra better with my eyes closed," Harry retorted in a hiss as Naruto finally calmed down.

Jiraiya's expression was comical, his mouth dropped open and his eyes bugged out of his head. "I thought only Minato-kun could do that!" Jiraiya exclaimed loudly, causing Naruto to cry again. Harry made a hushing motion to his teacher while he repeated his previous ministrations with the infant blonde. "Sorry," mumbled the old man in a very unapologetic way.

Harry briefly wondered if he would ever get used to the old man's childish moods. He never acted like that, and his father most certainly never behaved in such a manner. Occasionally Minato would resemble a child, usually after Kushina smacked him in the head for some forgetful act. But with Minato it was always a show, not how he actually felt or behaved.

Harry tried to picture his father as a child; he probably would have been uncaring with a stone face. As the boy pondered this, the image of an Uchiha came to his mind. His father probably would have resembled a typical Uchiha prodigy as a child. Cold, heartless, cruel, and driven would have been his father. He wondered how his grandparents dealt with that, did they make his father that way? Were his grandparents as focused on power as the Uchiha's were?

Now Harry was thinking about that peculiar clan. They were a strange sort, unsavory at times. They rarely associated with anyone outside their compound, unless said person was distantly related. Harry couldn't help but wonder how they were so well populated when they refused to interact with "outsiders." Of course the police corps interacted with "outsiders," but they were not very pleasant interactions.

This brought up another question. Did anyone in the clan join actual shinobi ranks, not just their special division created out of fear and suspicion? If the six-year-old heard his father correctly, one Uchiha worked in the T & I department. There might be another teaching at the academy, but Harry was positive the woman had been disowned and did not have the Sharingan trait.

Harry had heard rumors that there was an Uchiha prodigy training to be admitted into regular shinobi ranks. Minato talked about him briefly, he was the heir, son of Uchiha Fugaku. Now what was his name…Ichigo? It started with an "I". His cousin joked that he'd be quickly drafted into special ops when he awakened his Sharingan, if only because they could call him a bad omen… Starts with an 'I' and bad omen, Harry wanted smack himself in the forehead, the prodigy's name was Itachi.

Wasn't Itachi his age? Hadn't he heard that name recently? It hit him then. Harry had passed by the Uchiha compound to get to the main gates a week and a half ago, and the whole section was abuzz with news of Itachi's Sharingan awakening. It revealed itself while he was protecting his new baby brother from falling debris due to the Kyūbi attack. That part, the boy figured out from a quick glance at one of the gossiping Uchihas.

Another prodigy his age! Harry wondered if they would ever work together, and if the boy had gone through a similar training regime with his father as Harry had with his.

Harry jumped in alarm, his thoughts about Uchihas and his father as a child were cut off sharply by the fact that he was now drenched after something had hit him in the face. Jiraiya was glaring down at him with, what Harry took to be, a water balloon; one he was lightly tossing in the air and catching with one hand.

"Do I need to throw another one?" Jiraiya threatened, before he began backing away from a very menacing looking child.

"You got Naruto wet," Harry stated slowly, his green eyes narrowed dangerously at the old man. Naruto was still very much awake, but at least he was not crying, yet.

"Maybe you should pay better attention to your surroundings," the old man countered in his childish way before tossing the water balloon to the boy, who caught it in one hand without jostling Naruto.

Harry nodded stiffly. His father would have been so disappointed with him. He might have even had to go through a surprise mental training session. Harry shuddered at the thought; the last assault from his father had been…more than harrowing. He had not been able to open his eyes the next day, nor could he think properly.

"Alright, I want you to pop that balloon with your chakra," Jiraiya's order forced the boy away from his unsavory thoughts. The man then gestured to a basket filled with water balloons, "Once you've popped all of those, we'll move onto the next step," Jiraiya then got up to leave.

"The formula's on the table next to his diapers," and with nothing more to say, Jiraiya left his new student with the baby. It was only after leaving the hotel that he realized the boy was only six years old and such actions could be considered neglect.

Cursing under his breath, he summoned his favorite toad to keep an eye on the brat. Honestly, he just wanted to get laid, no, he needed to get laid. He wasn't supposed to "defile" the kid in anyway, and the man doubted he could explain "little Jiraiya" acting up without corrupting the boy's innocence. Somehow, Jiraiya doubted the kid would ever know about sex until his wedding night. What a sad life that would be.

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><p>Harry didn't bat an eye at the toad's appearance. Instead, he focused on the task before him. He could get the water inside the ball to move counterclockwise, but the issue now was also having it move clockwise. In his mind he could see how the water should be circulated, the inner whirlpool feeding into the exterior counter spinning cyclone, which feed back into inner whirlpool.<p>

Harry sighed in frustration as the inner part faltered when he began to make the exterior part. The toad just sat looking at him, looking at him with amusement in his large eyes. With a determined fire burning in the green depths of his eyes, Harry went back to work. After all, when did he ever get something right on the first try? Rarely, when he was training with his father.

Harry had yet to take a break, the toad chiding him for being "too stubborn." It was well past his bed time, but Harry refused to go to bed unsuccessful. As it reached eleven thirty, Naruto had his first potty problem of the evening.

Over the past week, the two ninja had been woken up at least three times each night. Naruto was content to nap during the day and feed at least five times, but when normal sleeping hours occurred, he could not stay quiet. Usually he had his diapers changed twice during the day, but at night he was changed three times if not four. Did he save his bodily functions up during the day?

Jiraiya seemed more clueless than Harry when it came to changing his diapers; however, the book Harry read was very thorough on what to do. Thus Harry was able to do it successfully after the second try. Since the old man had been of absolutely no help, he made him clean the cloth diaper, and every one after that.

Harry now worked through changing the diaper almost absentmindedly, until Naruto began urinating on him. The little blonde just giggled and clasped his hands together while Harry looked at him in shock.

"Should he be red like that?" the toad commented from the six-year-old's shoulder, how he got there from the other side of the room, and avoided the pee was beyond Harry.

Harry brought his attention to the redness the toad mentioned and grimaced at the inflammation on Naruto's bottom. Narrowing his gaze, Harry summoned his memories from the books he read on child rearing. Closing his eyes he focused on the segment entitled "Surprises while Changing."

"His skin is probably irritated from being in the diaper so long," Harry reasoned as he set to work on cooling the agitated skin, he stumbled over "irritated" having never pronounced the word out loud before. Naruto cooed softly as his irritated bottom was being healed and a new diaper was put on.

Harry quickly cleaned his hands before working on rocking Naruto back to sleep. After trying several of the lulling methods highlighted in his books, Naruto finally drifted off.

Sighing in relief, the boy set the baby back in his makeshift cradle; pillows on the ground in the form of an open topped box. With Naruto back to sleep, Harry set to work on bursting the water balloon.

"You're not showering?" the boy looked at the toad in confusion for a moment, "He pissed on you," the toad deadpanned, causing Harry to flush slightly.

"I have to burst the balloon," the boy would have gone on to say more if not for the toad's following speech.

"The old man has no clue what to teach you, and you learn too fast. Take it a little slower and Jiraiya-san would be relieved," why should he learn the material slowly? His father always wanted to move onto the next concept as soon as he explained the previous one. There were no breaks, no time to truly digest the information. Was it bad to learn too quickly, was he doing something wrong?!

Furrowing his brow slightly, Harry nodded stiffly. "Okay," he whispered slowly before making his way toward the bathroom to clean up from being target practice for the little baby. The toad just stared at the curious human before him, and wondered what exactly was going through his young mind.

* * *

><p>Jiraiya was thoroughly stated and now had new material for his books. Looking over at his fair haired partner, the Sannin could not help but smile. She was a perfect specimen, her proportions spot on for her height and weight. It would shock many that the renowned Pervert Sage preferred real women over exceedingly busty centerfolds. Though Tsuande he could handle, what with her tall stature and wider build, it looked more natural than the girls in magazines. Of course he would over sexualize this night's events for his readers, doubting the sale's ratings if he described an average woman to his sex crazed readers.<p>

Guilt began to eat at the Sannin, how exactly was the brat fairing? Did he already pop the balloon? Has Naruto woken up yet? Would the brat even sleep tonight? He saw a stubborn drive in the boy, the same drive he saw in Minato, the same drive he prayed Naruto would have someday. Perhaps he should go check on the brat, just to make sure he didn't overexert himself.

Sitting up, he began to search for his clothes, only to have silken arms wrap around his waist.

"Leaving so soon?" a pouty yet sultry voice asked, dark eyes looked up at him mischievously.

"I should go check on my" Jiraiya thought for a moment. He wasn't looking for relationships, something most of his lays assumed would develop after a passionate night, and so he made up a lie about having a sexually transmitted disease and telling his partner that the condom broke. That made sure they never sought him out again, but now he had a better excuse, one that did not include much lying "grandson," he stated with a cheery smile in place.

The woman was shocked, that much was clear, but a smirk made its way across her face. "Well aren't you a sexy grandpa," she teased, walking her slender fingers up his stomach. "If you're leaving your grandson alone, I'm sure he's old enough to spend one night without his ojii-san," she teased, rising up on one arm to plant a kiss on the older man's slightly parted lips.

Eh, what the hell. He had his most loyal summon watching the kid, what did he have to worry about? With a playful grin in place, Jiraiya let his libido take over.

* * *

><p>Jiraiya walked into the hotel room they had been staying for the past… now that Jiraiya thought about it, they had been in the hot spring town for almost a week. He'd be run out of the town soon, so he'd enjoy his stay until he became unwelcomed.<p>

The Sannin quirked an eyebrow at the sight before him; the hotel room was immaculate; there were no signs that the balloons were popped, and Harry was feeding Naruto his formula while appearing to have gotten no sleep the night before.

"About time you showed up!" barked the toad, waiting impatiently to be dismissed so he could go back to Mount Myōboku.

Jiraiya did dismiss his summon, though he did not really pay attention as he did so. "I figured you'd have popped the balloon by now," Jiraiya commented as he moved around the cleaned hotel room. The maid service only changed the sheets and did any laundry in the hampers…

Harry had his head bowed again, and Jiraiya sighed while crouching down next to the six-year-old. Placing a heavy hand on the boy's shoulder in a comforting way, he tried to cheer the boy up, "Hey, it took me a long time to get the Rasengan down," the old man had a wide smile on his face, one that was prone to encouraging people, "Plus you're young, not everything will come to you as naturally as seals do, and you have time if they don't," Harry looked up briefly, Naruto still sucking away at his bottle.

"So we won't work on anything else until I make the Rasengan?" Harry asked in a soft voice, one edged with disappointment. He had hoped Jiraiya would be a different teacher than his father.

"Why the hell would we do that?" the Toad Sannin asked as he pulled back from the child and gave him an alarmed look.

Harry just bowed his head in response, his face quickly colored. That was how he had always been trained, one jutsu at a time and he was expected to master it after the first day. Jiraiya shook his head again, for he had a good idea where the boy's thoughts were going.

"Listen, Namikaze-kun" it was painful to say that name, but he needed the boy to know he was serious, "It doesn't make you weak, it doesn't make you a disappointment, it just shows you're human. I didn't understand the Rasengan concept for months; you got it in one day. And who says you have to learn one thing at a time, this gives us an opportunity to try learning tons of different techniques, as long as you keep practicing what you've learned, you're not letting anyone down," the way those green eyes stared up at him made Jiraiya's throat constrict.

Those brilliant green eyes looked at him in slight shock, with disbelief flitting across the surface. There was also admiration and confusion, but above all else, there was relief. It wasn't relief that he was moving onto a new technique, but it was relief that he could learn at his own pace. It was relief that there wouldn't be repercussions for taking too long, and it stung to see that in someone so young.

"I take it you cleaned?" he asked as he looked away from those haunting eyes, and tried to keep his emotions in check. At the boy's nod Jiraiya stood up and continued to survey the room, "Why?"

"Toad-san told me you would be happy if I took my time," Harry began, now burping a full Naruto. "And Naruto wakes so much at night, so…I cleaned,"

"Go at whatever pace you feel you should be at," Jiraiya called over his shoulder while he wondered if the boy often cleaned. The room was cleaner than when they got there.

"Yes Jiraiya-sensei,"

Harry had just set Naruto down on his blanket, and began to pull out one of the scrolls Jiraiya gave him on seals.

"Why don't you take a nap?" the old man suggested as he took the scroll away from the boy whose brow furrowed in equal parts confusion and indignation. "Growing boys need their energy," Jiraiya intoned, and tapped the six-year-old on the head with the scroll, a goofy smile was distorting his face.

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><p>After a week and a half in the hot spring village, they had yet to be kicked out. It was a miracle! Though it was probably because Jiraiya had very little time to chase skirts, thus no infuriated husbands or affronted females to kick him out. Having an adorable six-year-old and infant probably helped him as well. It certainly got him some tail when he needed it!<p>

Trysts aside, the man's time in the village was spent training the brat and taking care of baby Naruto. He also had picked up a bit of information he thought the Hokage would be interested in when he made his monthly report.

Jiraiya had never had a more enthused student. Everything he taught the brat was lapped up with bright eyes. Those eyes were bright with the love of learning, whether this was innate or developed from intense training, Jiraiya could not say. From what the old man could remember of the boy's father, from Minato's Genin days, he was more power hungry than thirsty for knowledge. This boy just loved to learn; whether he used these techniques or not, did not matter to the boy, he just desired to understand.

As their second week there began, Jiraiya started quizzing the boy on different seals: asking him what each seal did, what the symbols meant, and what the diagrams implied. When the boy answered incorrectly or missed something in his answer, which was a rare occurrence, he would flinch as if anticipating a blow or reprimand. But when he received neither, his eyes would grow wide and he'd ask one hundred and one questions on the topic he missed. This usually led to a very long but intellectual conversation on seal theory.

As the boy became proficient at identifying seals, Jiraiya began teaching him the most basic one, secrecy seals. Harry quickly progressed in the level of secrecy seals, until he finally reached the point where he could make a seal that required his blood alone to open it.

But throughout all of this, the boy continued his work on the Rasengan. He could successfully maintain the inner whirlpool while creating the exterior cyclone, but when it came to the chakra flow becoming self-sustaining to the point of breaking the balloon, he failed. Perhaps it was the constant rerouting of his chakra, to maintain the circulation pattern required for the Hiraishin that interfered. But how was Jiraiya to know? He couldn't sense energies like his two Konoha students could.

The boy also meditated for at least an hour each day, claiming it was a training his father had him do. Apparently it was a way of harnessing a second technique in his bloodline. The boy was dead to the world when he did this, but Jiraiya did not mind. He usually played with Naruto during Meditation Time, as he dubbed it, but something seemed off today.

Harry was frowning while he meditated. His expressions became more and more distraught as time passed. Suddenly, the boy was screaming and clutching his head, the scar on his forehead began to bleed as well. Tears flowed unbidden down his face, and though Jiraiya wished to comfort the boy, he now had a crying Naruto to deal with.

By the time Naruto was calm again, Harry was also "calm". The six-year-old had his knees pulled to his chest, his green eyes were wide and haunted. Tears still slid down his face and his body was shaking.

Setting Naruto down onto his blanket, Jiraiya kneeled in front of the boy and gently placed his hands on the boy's arms. Emerald eyes traveled slowly up to meet Jiraiya's own gray ones.

In that moment, Jiraiya found himself in a copse. Around him the ground was littered with dead wild flowers, and the earth was torn up like one's flesh after being cut by a kunai. Several of the trees were withered in the bright midday light, but Jiraiya's attention was pulled away from the scenery to the young boy crying in the middle of the clearing.

There was a menacing laugh in the air, one that chilled the Sannin more than Orochimaru's laughter ever could. The boy flinched, and tried to cover his ears as a woman's scream was heard throughout grove.

_"No! No! Take me, kill me, not my son!" _a woman pleaded, her voice desperate and panicked. The cruel, dark laughter filled the field again. Jiraiya did not comprehend the words, but that did not hinder him from understanding the emotions behind the woman's words. She was pleading for a life, he could tell. Perhaps it was her husband or child's life?

_"Give me the boy," _it was a man's voice, a deep baritone filled with disdain, cruelty, and mocking. _"Give me the Chosen One,"_ the man hissed. What he said, what his intentions were, they were lost to Jiraiya. The Sannin could only shudder at the man's voice as dread filled him.

_"No! Kill me, spare my baby!" _the woman pleaded, only to be met by the same cruel insane laughter. She was offering herself, begging for the man to kill her instead of his intended target, and it made Jiraiya's fist clench. Stupid woman, madmen like that won't spare anyone, they'll kill the person pleading and then kill the target without batting an eye. But he commended the woman for her bravery, for her love.

"_Avada Kedavra" _the man hissed, this time the language was different than what he had heard before, and the copse was filled with green light coming from above them.

Looking up in alarm, Jiraiya saw a woman falling to the floor of a nursery, her expression horrified. There was a baby behind her, wild black hair with bright green eyes. A black stick came into view; it appeared as if Jiraiya was doing the deed. _"Avada Kedavra"_ the man hissed again, but when the green light erupted from the end of his stick and hit the baby, it rebounded and the cruel man began to scream.

_"No! No! Take me, kill me, not my son!" _it was the woman again, but the view point had changed. From what Jiraiya could gather, he was watching the scene from the baby's perspective. The woman had her arms spread out to her sides as she tried to shield the baby from the man's view.

_"Give me the boy! Give me the Chosen One!" _

_"No! Kill me, spare my baby!"_

_ "Avada Kedavra"_ Green light filled the area again, and the woman fell to the ground, thus revealing a tall and regal man behind her with that dark stick in his hand, but behind him was James, or as he was now called, Shika. His brown eyes watched in horror as, what Jiraiya presumed to be, his wife fell to the floor dead. The horror grew as the regal man repeated the…the jutsu at James's son. After the light refracted back, James eyes looked dead. It was as if the man's heart broke, along with his will and mind. He just picked up the baby and began a long incantation with his crying son in his arms.

Jiraiya knelt beside the boy who continued to cry, his eyes clenched tightly closed.

"Namikaze-kun?" he questioned softly, and when he received an increase in tears as his response, the old man brought the boy into a loose embrace. "Those were memories weren't they?" they both knew the answer.

"Why do you have that," man did not seem the appropriate word, "that monster's memories?"

Harry's tears continued to fall down his face as he clung to the older man. Jiraiya's presence was comforting to the boy.

The world around them changed, it flew past them, to relocate them in a long dark hallway. Jiraiya quickly deduced that they would need to walk, and that this must be the boy's mind. Standing up slowly and shifting the little boy to his hip, he began walking down the hallway.

There were no doors, just a very long and dark walkway. With each step it became harder to move forward. Something evil was at the end, something grotesque. That presence, knowing that it was there, made it difficult to continue on. It went against every instinct in the Sannin's body to keep walking, and he could feel his will breaking the closer he came to the end of the hall.

However, when he finally persevered through that oppressive air, they came to a dead end. As Jiraiya scratched his head in confusion, Harry removed his face from its hiding place in the crook of the old man's neck. Sniffing, he waved one hand at the wall in front of them. The wall then melted away to reveal a misty veil with a seal hovering in the center.

Jiraiya gasped. The seal, though in a different language, was similar to the ones on jinchūriki. However, it had the ultimate protection, death. A soul was trapped behind the veil, and only death of the vessel would allow a two way interaction to occur. It was likely the soul would take over the host's body when the host passed on. But none of that kept it from communicating with them.

It laughed insanely. The soul behind the curtain hovered on the other side, just laughing. It was the man's laugh, they knew that now, but both ninja noted the weakness in the soul. They pitied it. It was broken and twisted; it wasn't even a real soul, just a fragment of its former glory.

The man was now speaking, of what the two did not know, but images came to them unbidden. There were women screaming beneath that vile man as he did horrible things to them. There were children looking up at him fearfully only to be killed by a flash of green light. There were grown men put under that red light Jiraiya had been subjected to only a three weeks ago, and after they were tortured they had to watch their families be killed in front of them.

Jiraiya wanted to hide the boy from this, to take him somewhere far away. But how?! How does one escape their own mind?! The soul felt no regret, no remorse for his heinous actions on humanity, and it came to them so clearly that it sickened them.

Jiraiya found himself crying along with Harry. He held the boy tightly as he began walking backwards down the hallway. Perhaps that thing was once human, but he was no longer so and there was no way for him to redeem himself.

Once they were back in the clearing, Harry's mind having shifted mindscapes, Jiraiya fell to the ground and rocked the six-year-old back and forth. He could only guess what Harry must be thinking; perhaps he thought along the same lines that most jinchūriki did when they first discovered their tenant.

"You're human, you're real, and so much good can come from you," he whispered to the sobbing child. "You are not that thing, you are human, you are a ninja of Konoha, you are human," his words started coming out like a mantra, one that steadily brought the child to sleep, thus pushing Jiraiya from the boy's mind.

Little time seemed to have passed, and for that Jiraiya was thankful. Harry was curled up to his chest sleeping, but his face tear stained and troubled. Shakily, Jiraiya laid down on the ground, and just held his new student, as he tried to make himself believe what had just happened had not occurred. It was a fool's hope, but he had always been called a fool.

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><p><em><strong>A Suivre<strong>_

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><p><strong>AN:  
><strong> So that is all I have edited thus far, again let me know if the rating should be changed, before I thought M was unnecessary but perhaps it is, I don't know. Anyways, thank you for reading ~ depressedchildren


	10. Interlude

**A/N:** Hey all, this is just a myth I wrote because I keep referencing it throughout this fanfic. It also is the main astrological difference between the two worlds. It's really not that important, but here it is because I was driving myself nuts from constantly referencing it. You really don't need to read this. Love ~ depressedchildren.

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><p><span>The Four Guardians<span>

Long ago, before the Hidden Villages came into being, the world was one large unmarked territory. Many ninja, samurai, and people without chakra wandered the world as boundless vagabonds.

There were many strong fighters, and clever minds scattered about the world, but four stood out the most. The twins were the strongest combatants known to man, yet they spent most of their time fighting each other over petty things, such as: praises from their followers, and the ongoing contest of who wielded fire best.

Azuma was deadliest with his metal staff, which acted like an extension of his own arms. His sister, Nishi, cut through most opponents with an unrivaled grace when a sword was held in her hand. Minami and Hokubei would shake their heads at their children's senseless quarreling. Minami often wondered how she bore such brash children, while her husband pondered if the twins would ever show an ounce of their parent's intellect.

There came many a time that Minami needed to blow away her son from his sister with her mighty fan, while Hokubei had to push his daughter back with well-aimed throws of his kunai. The mother and father would then move away from each other to keep an eye on their children. Should either begin to charge their sibling, the parents would intercept and push their children back to their corners of the land.

As years passed the two rivals no longer sought out each other to fight, for they knew their parents would only intervene. They soon found their attention captured by a more pressing threat, one which continued to come closer and closer to their lands.

There was a darkness spreading around the world. This darkness twisted the people around them into violent beings, beings who turned on their kin readily, and forced their kin to kill them in fear. But the darkness could not touch the estranged family's hearts.

Azuma and Nishi were far too strong to succumb to such a weak force, while their parents, Hokubei and Minami were too wise to fall victim to its influence. Their neighbors in their respective corners of the world turned on them, for if the darkness could not turn the family to its bidding, then the family must be destroyed, lest they find a way to weaken the darkness's hold on the peoples of the world.

Refusing to harm those around them, the family was forced way from their respective corners and pushed toward the center of their world. Unlike many a time in the past, Azuma and Nishi did not quarrel or spit insults at one another, instead they stood back to back between their parents. The darkness only pressed in closer and threatened to lash out, but the family held firm to their positions.

It became clear to the family that their neighbors had lost their way in the darkness. The people of the land had made residences but in this darkness they could no longer find their way home, which lead the people to their present fear and madness. How could they know who their family really was when they could not see clearly? They had no indication of which way to go to return home in this pervading darkness?

The family now knew they did not succumb to the darkness, for they each knew where they belonged: at their respective corners of the world. Should one of the twins had moved from their designated corner, Minami and Hokubei would have known, and would have put them back in their place with mighty winds and throws (respectively). The twins could feel scars in the earth that marked past efforts to keep the fighting siblings in place.

The family knew not what to do with the darkness; however, and were at loss of how to get back to their homes.

The twins had tried many times to light a fire during the time they were pushed toward the center of the world, but the darkness only grew – some how it fed off of the smoke rising from their respective fires. Minami had tried many times to blow the darkness away, and it would fade for a moment before swelling once more around her. Hokubei had tried to generate electricity through his kunai many times and it would alleviate the darkness until he exhausted himself and was once more ensconced in the inky blackness.

"My love, this darkness is like a smoke, it can be blown away but only for a moment," Minami confessed to her husband.

"It eats smoke" the twins stated in unison and so twisted their heads to glare at each other, "from my fire," they continued slowly, their gazes narrowing further, "and then smothers it!" they both ended up shouting, and now turned to face each other before they were turned back to back by their parents.

"My electricity shines best, but I can only keep it up for so long," Hokubei confessed to his wife, but the wheels in his mind and his wife's mind began to churn.

"My love," the husband and wife exclaimed as their plan was finalized and they turned their backs to the encroaching darkness. The twins turned back around in confusion, why would their parents turn their back to the enemy? "My children," they began, their eyes were soft with love.

"I will blow away the darkness with my metal fan," Minami stated, "This will give you time, Nishi, to send fire towards your father," Nishi was going to reject her mother's idea but her father began speaking once more.

"I will refract the firelight with my kunai, while I send lightning toward your brother," Azuma jerked slightly at what his father just told him.

"Then you, Azuma, will refract that light as well while sending fire toward me," Minami continued, silencing her son's complaints.

"Minami will refract the light back to you, my daughter, and she will continue to blow away the smoky darkness so you many once more send fire toward me," Hokubei finished at last. With grave nods the twins agreed and prepared themselves to comply with their parents orders.

Soon Minami spun her fan and blew away the smoky darkness around her daughter, Nishi was able to great a fire in the brief moment the darkness was pushed away, and she the light toward her father, who was already sending lightning toward Azuma, and thus clearing away darkness from him while Azuma sent fire back to his mother. As they continued the cycle, moving faster and faster in the actions, the darkness was pushed back, and those around them could see once more, but the people were still in fear for they did not know where they were.

The family simultaneously, but cautiously, took a step backwards. The darkness retracted more, and more people were able to see once more. They continued their actions, and eventually there was enough light to be refracted off of their metal weapons that they need not continue to feed fire and lightning unless the light dim. The darkness was pushed back, and eventually could no longer touch the world. The people were relieved that they could once more to find their way home. For the family's light led the way.

The gods smiled down at their world; proud of the family, but they knew that those humans would wither away from fatigue, long before their sister came out of the cave. They had a plan developing for how to get their sister out of the cave, but at the moment they needed something to push away the darkness and lead the people home while their other brother prepared to light the sky in absence of their sister.

So the gods took the four and put them into the sky, thus creating the first stars. So even on the darkest of nights, the people of the Hidden World would always be able to find their way home. Azuma in the East with his burning red light, Minami in the South with her clear brilliance, Nishi in the West was matching her brother's shade and brightness, and Hokubei stood vigil to the North with his cold blue flickering light. And so the first stars remained, immortal and ever lighting the way for ninja and civilians alike, when darkness blanketed the world between the setting of the goddess and the rising of the god. It is said that the family will always bring people home, in the magical way of stars.

Hokubei, Azuma, Minami, and Nishi became the four Guardians; the ones who keep the darkness at bay and lead all peoples home.

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><p><strong>AN:** I hopefully will update soon-ish...I'm working on editing the previous chapters, because it's embarrassing (really I read over this one and wanted to slam my head against the wall). So... be looking for that I guess. Oh, and the gods mentioned at the end should be Ameteratsu and Tsukiyomi (not sure if I spelled those right, but in those myths (?), Ameteratsu hid herself in a cave and she was sun so...if that makes sense... that's what I was going with that). Love, depressed children -2/9/13


	11. Chapter 6: Mountains and Ninja Sex Ed

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, nor do I gain anything (but writing and editing experience) by using the plot and characters from these works. Naruto and and the Harry Potter series belong to their respective creators, editors, publishers, and companies.

_**Summary:**_ They were all trying to escape, whether it was from fate, war, grief, abuse, hate. They were all trying to escape. There are many Harry Potter spoilers for those who have not read the books, and spoilers for the Naruto series as well.

**A/N:** Yay! A legitimate update after editing a ton! **I added the most new material** to the **second part of the introduction** chapters, so you might want to look back at that. Ages have also gone up one year, I believe I've corrected all of those, but if I missed one, let me know where. Also, fair warning, some suggestive themes in this chapter, and I hope my justifications are clear, but again, Ninja have to use everything available to them, all possible weaknesses need to be known to them. Anyways, let me know if it is too suggestive and this should be pushed back to a M rating. Enjoy, much love ~ depressedchildren

**Key: **

_text_ is text

_levi corpus_ a known spell, usually a perversion of a Latin phrase

_"Dialogue" _the opposite language of the world they are in

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><p><em><strong>Chapitre six<strong>_

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><p>After that incident, Jiraiya decided it was time to get back on the road. Harry seemed exhausted, but Jiraiya couldn't complain, he himself was drained from that psychologically traumatic experience. The old man ended up carrying the brat on his back while he had Naruto strapped to his chest. The boy slept almost all the way to the boarders of Lightning Country, granted, they had taken a ferry to bypass crossing the Land of Frost and shorten their traveling time.<p>

When they camped for the night on the boarder of the two countries, Harry looked up at Jiraiya with haunted eyes, and asked the question the Sage knew was coming.

"Could a suppression seal block out his voice?" Harry's voice was hoarse from disuse.

"It could," Jiraiya murmured as he pecked at his dinner. He observed the boy with his face drawn into a stoic mask. Harry refused to look up at him, instead he favored the hard packed dirt.

"But it would work better if he was completely separated from my mind, right?" Jiraiya's lips spread outward in a wry smile. Though his jaw was set firmly, his eyes were burning in the flickering campfire light. He was undeniably proud of the boy.

"Stole the words right out of my mouth," the Sannin's voice was deep and cracked from neglect, but his vowels were bright due to the smile on his lips, and the warm tone lacing each syllable softened his words. This soft yet joking tone made the kid smile slightly, even as he continued to look down at the ground.

Harry had a stick in his hand with which he began to draw a design into the hard earth below them. Jiraiya came over to look at what he was drawing and could not have felt more proud. "Very good, Brat," he stated in a gruff barking tone. He was genuinely impressed at the flawless design. The boy had even incorporated a suppressing seal into the other more complex seal meant to separate the other soul from him.

"Would you like it done now or would you rather you did it yourself?" at the boy's hesitant smile, the old man barked with laughter and clapped the boy on the back. He was proud of Harry; that was for damn sure.

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><p>Harry couldn't stop staring; his childishly wide green eyes were stretched further than normal, and they were flitting from one horizon to the next. It was a breathtaking view, to be sure, but that gave the boy no right to almost fall off the mountain path four times. Jiraiya doubted he'd live long enough to explain what happened to the enraged deer ANBU, should the boy actually succeed in falling off the mountain.<p>

They were nearing Kumogakure, if the thick mass of clouds a head of them was anything to go off of. Snowcapped mountain tops poked up from the glimmering clouds in the distance like the jagged teeth of a wolf's mouth. Almost blue, the harsh stone shone against the surrounding white, it was foreboding yet terribly beautiful. The swirling gasses and moisture at their base glimmered in the autumn sunlight. Patches of snow hugged the mountain next to them, and lined either side of their current path. However, up ahead, the shifting clouds obscured Kumogakure from view while the shoveled path would disappear into a blanket of snow. All of this to further keep unescorted travelers from the village.

Jiraiya knew what kept the village hidden, and had taken a long but thin fallen branch from near the base of the mountain to use as a seeing stick. Perhaps he should have told the boy to grab one of his own…in fact, he should have told the brat many things. Such as, it would become bitterly cold the further up the mountain they went.

Casting his gray eyes over to his companion, he noted the boy had paused a few spaces behind him. Turning around, Jiraiya was greeted with glimmering wide green eyes, alight with awe and shock. Pale lips were parted to permit a small gasp, before pupils encased in green focused on the elderly man in front of them.

"What happens when you walk into a cloud?" Harry asked, perhaps his first truly childish question. "What are clouds made of?" there was a slight tightness in his words, and a rush to his questions that was not linked with his age. Fear, Jiraiya deduced, mixed with worry edged the boy's questions while his wide eyes shifted to focus on what lay beyond his teacher.

Jiraiya's face contorted with his wolfish smile. "I always thought they were made of cotton fluff," Jiraiya confessed with a barking laugh. His head tilted backwards while his hand came forward to hold Naruto closer to him. The baby was swaddled in several blankets and was held to Jiraiya via the baby carrier.

"Then what's gonna happen when we walk through them?" Harry's mouth fell open as his chest rose and fell faster than it had before. His hands twitched beside him, perhaps an attempt to keep from flailing them about, while his gaze flitted around to look at the swirling mists a few leagues ahead of them.

Jiraiya couldn't hold it in, and he would chide himself later, but it was too damn funny. Jiraiya laughed, and laughed, and laughed. He was bent over, clutching Naruto to his body as he shook with mirth. His eyes were clenched closed as his abdominal muscles convulsed and his lungs restricted with each deep lungful of crisp mountain air. The laughter echoed around them, gaining volume in the valley below them, making it sound as if a battalion was laughing at the boy.

Jiraiya was sure Harry had his head down with an ashamed blush dusting his cheeks, but it was still too funny. Up until this point, Jiraiya was constantly forgetting the boy was just that, a child! The brat was so logical, yet he had actually taken what Jiraiya said for the truth. It was baffling but understandable, when would the boy have been taught the composition of clouds?

Sure enough, the boy had his head bowed, his unruly bangs had fallen into his eyes which were clenched tightly closed. Little fists were balled at the boy's side while a faint blush dusted the boy's pale cheeks and his bottom lip was caught between his teeth. Grimacing, Jiraiya straightened.

"What I meant was, when I was a kid I always thought they were made of fluff. They're actually just a bunch of water in gas form." Harry looked up at his teacher, and was relieve to see the firm line of Jiraiya's lips and sober shine to his eyes, which matched the man's dully stated words.

The boy let out a breath he had not known he was holding with this discovery. His teacher was telling the truth and had not meant to trick him. The burning in Harry's chest, which had spread through his body at the harsh barks of laughter, receded along with the heat in his face. He was not sure what he had felt, but whatever the emotion was, it had made him feel small and foolish.

"Oh…" Green eyes looked up cautiously, and Jiraiya could see questions formulating behind those flickering eyes.

"And before you ask a thousand and one questions, I know absolutely nothing else about clouds," Jiraiya knew his student well, but his statement clearly was not going to deter the boy, since Harry was already opening his mouth to ask a question.

"But if they're made of water, can they be used for water jutsus?"

Jiraiya was sure the kid had heard him, but perhaps the boy just wanted to talk until they got to the village. That, the man could deal with, as long as the boy knew he was guessing on his answers.

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><p>"Papers?" there were two guards waiting at the entrance of the hidden village. Harry and Jiraiya were drenched and shivering from their walk through the clouds, during which they had almost fallen off the mountain path several times.<p>

Jiraiya pulled out a sodden wad of documents from his vest with a raw, red hand. The guards chuckled and quickly performed a jutsu that dried the papers. However, as they began to flip through the parchment, they were quick to regarded Jiraiya with respect and wariness - they were probably remembering the last time he was there. He had been chased out of the town by the entire adult female population. Chuckling the Senin could only think one thing, those were good times.

The guards did a double take when the saw Harry's name and Jiraiya was sure that if he had not been there the boy would have been sent to their T & I building. After the guards waved them in, Jiraiya found a hotel to stay at until they were chased out. Correction, when **he** was chased out.

Harry was already started on changing Naruto's wet clothes and giving the baby a warm bath when Jiraiya set down their bags. The baby would likely come down with a fever later tonight if he wasn't taken care of properly. Jiraiya for his part was preparing formula for Naruto, for when the infant became hungry. Once done, he set the mixture down on the hotel desk.

"I'm going to go see an old friend, keep working on those water balloons," the old man called over his shoulder before heading out and summoning a toad to watch the boy. Harry just nodded and continued to clean the cooing baby

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><p>Jiraiya was officially sick of getting slapped in the face! He tried every place he knew the eight tails container would be, only to find him missing. Since he didn't want to waste his time with fruitless searches, he flirted with a few women. Apparently they still remembered him. At least it wasn't all in vain; he met up with one of his informants.<p>

Sighing while gingerly rubbing his red and swollen face, the toad sage meandered over to a mysteriously wooded area, perhaps it was a training ground. There was snow on the forest floor, which was to be expected at this altitude, latitude, and season. Honestly, he just wanted to sit down in a familiar setting, that being beneath trees.

Without meaning to, the old man began to drift off. He was in a dry segment and though the tree was cold against his back, it was comforting after such a long hike of up the mountain. The smell of snow as it mixed in with the scent of trees was also comforting. It reminded Jiraiya of winter in Konoha. They would get three or four snow falls a season, and after a week the snow would usually melt. But the crisp clean smell of it was something the old man looked forward to in those barren months, which were fast approaching.

As he was floating on the line of unconsciousness, he could hear the distant sounds of feet crunching in the snow. Frowning, Jiraiya woke up enough to listen for anymore sounds of life. There was a low voice, it moved in a lyrical pattern and was coming closer. Though the owner of the voice was not singing by any means, rather, he was saying poetry? No, that must not be it. But what was a name for rhythmic poetry that was spoken but not sang?

"Old man!" Jiraiya jumped up from his resting place to regard a rather boisterous jinchūriki. The twenty-year-old had a small notebook out and a pencil touching the pages. He was a study in contrasts, if Jiraiya was to be honest. The man blended in well with the stark environment, appearing like a frost covered tree, but as did the majority of Kumogakure's occupants. The man was also very loud for a ninja, but could be quiet when needed.

"B!" Jiraiya greeted in return, his face stretched wide in a wolfish smile, only to falter in his step (and expression) by the glare he was receiving, "I mean, Jinchūriki-sama," B nodded in return, stowing away his book to greet the sage in a more appropriate manner.

"I'm sorry to hear about your student," B stated in all seriousness as he grabbed Jiraiya by the arms, and conveyed that he truly was sorry by the hard set of his brow and jaw. "He was a great combatant and leader."

"That he was," Jiraiya stared forward into the dark eyes before him with his jaw clenched, thus keeping in the grief he felt from rising inside of him.

"Have they found a new host?" B asked quietly, his hands fell to his sides while he held his chin high and his eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, he picked his own kid," B just nodded lowering his chin and slinging his arm over the older man to walk with him.

"He should come by some time when he's older," Jiraiya's face took on a deadpan expression, which caused B to laugh, "I could mentor him, ya know," the jinchūriki's mouth was quirked up at one corner in a decidedly mischievous way.

"Yes, like all of you were going to 'mentor' Kushina-chan?" the two threw each other smirks with narrowed eyes, both were refraining from laughing.

"You can't blame us for trying," B joked, the laughter he had been trying to keep back burst out after that sentence, "Gods that girl was more trouble than she was worth. She was hard headed, clumsy, loud, and had one very possessive boyfriend,"

"Let's hope their kid isn't like her," Jiraiya laughed in return, his eyes danced with nostalgia. Kumogakure learned their lesson after that incident; don't mess with the Uzumakis or Namikazes.

* * *

><p>Naruto was asleep and Harry was wary of working on his mental shields after his confrontation with the other soul. That left one thing to do, popping water balloons.<p>

Grabbing one of the colorful plastic balloons, Harry began circulating his chakra in the correct pattern. He had his eyes closed to make sure that the chakra was moving in the correct order when he felt water fill his hand. … He did it?!

Scrambling over to the large pack filled with water balloons, Harry took one in each hand. Closing his eyes, he focused on circulating the chakra in the right pattern before they exploded again. Something bubbled up his chest and out of his mouth; the resulting laugh caused the watchful toad to jump at the gleeful sound. The boy was laughing in excitement over his success. The toad would never have imagined seeing the child act in such away, but it made his amphibian heart warm.

Harry proceeded to burst two balloons at a time until he felt too tired to continue. It took a nice bit of chakra each time, and Jiraiya had ordered the boy not to overwork himself. With ten balloons left, Harry lay down beside Naruto and closed his eyes. Jiraiya's toad was smiling from his guardian like position near the window as he looked down at the sleeping six-year-old. The boy had progressed so much from the last time he babysat him, that was for sure.

* * *

><p>"Sannin-san, what's up with the toddler and baby?"<p>

Jiraiya came stumbling up behind his drinking buddy to see what he was talking about, "Oh right, that's my student and his little orphan…something" Jiraiya was far too inebriated to think of a suitable lie to explain Naruto's presence.

Taking a step toward the bed, Jiraiya slipped on something and was too shocked to catch himself. However, his crash awoke both Naruto and Harry. Harry had a kunai out and was crouched down in front of Naruto protectively; that is, until his sleep addled mind recognized his teacher lying on the floor.

Harry recalled the few times his father and Minato came home in such a deplorable state. Minato had whispered loudly that if he came home drunk again, Kushina would skin him alive. Thus, the boy deduced his sensei was intoxicated, which seemed to be the way adults relaxed. Though, the boy could not fathom why they did so, it clearly inhibited their motor skills.

"Shh, Naruto," Harry pocketed his kunai and picked up the distraught little jinchūriki, "It's just Jiraiya-sensei, he's drunk, shh," the boy rocked the baby back and forth; however, his words brought out a loud laugh from his teacher's companion. "And so is his friend," the boy added offhandedly to the quieting baby. Harry gaze narrowed slightly at the dark man who now gaped at the boy in an affronted manner. He really shouldn't look offended, Harry was stating the obvious.

"Hey!" B started to stalk forward, offended by the cheeky brat's comment, when he slipped on a piece of balloon and fell on his back next to a laughing Jiraiya. He too had been too intoxicated to catch himself; nothing seemed to be staying in one place.

"Sir, who are you?" Harry asked with a docile Naruto on his hip. The two men were still on the ground in a drunken daze, mouths hanging open and eyes squinting into the dark hotel room. Did they really both fall on their asses in front of an impressionable six-year-old?

Harry had his free hand out in show of goodwill and the desire to help the other man off the ground. Funny, he wasn't extending his arm out for Jiraiya.

"Jinchūriki-sama," B stated with a cocky grin plastered on his already plastered visage. He preferred to be revered for what he was.

"Nice to meet you Jinchūriki-sama," the man took the kid's hand, and was surprised by the little guy's strength as he was helped to his feet, though he was slightly disturbed by the boy's rather dead tone and expression. He needed a change in topic, and he had the perfect one in mind; what the hell had he slipped on?

"What's with the," B picked up a colorful piece of plastic and began to study it, "Is this a balloon?" His brow was furrowed and his eyes narrowed at the object dangling limply from his fingers, his mouth hung open while his nose scrunched up. He really slipped on a balloon? And he was a Jōnin! Wait…why did he have three hands?

"I got them to pop sensei!" Harry's mildly excited tone made Jiraiya chuckle, but he was still glad the kid was finally acting his age.

Forcing himself into a sitting position, head and stomach reeling at the motion, he took in the kid's shining green eyes and wide triumphant, smile. "Now listen," Jiraiya paused, hand raised up as he blinked several times. Despite being seated he still swayed slightly, "Good job," the words were long and loud, as if the Sanin's mind was working at half speed. Perhaps if he was not so drunk Jiraiya's pride in the boy would have been clearer through his words. But at least for once the Sanin bore a smile which did not distort his expression, but rather smoothed out his features. The boy flushed slightly from the look, his chest heating up from another strange emotion. He sometimes felt it when his father's eyes shone in that peculiarly kind way.

B scoffed as he plopped down on one of the beds in the hotel room. "Good for you kid," Harry jerked his head toward the other occupant. The unfamiliar tone B was using, despite the slurred words, made the boy feel small, as denoted by his bowed head and hunched shoulders.

"He's learning," Jiraiya began, pointing a finger at the stillest image of B, "how to make the Rasengan," the words were pushed out painfully slow, and his head jerked about for emphasis while his torso continued to sway. "This-this-ssss-this" the white haired man flailed his arm as he caught his train of thought again, "is one of the first steps!" With a nod of finality which only made the Sanin's world spin more, he fell back to lean on his arms and regard the other.

B laughed skeptically at the Sanin's defensive words until Jiraiya motioned for the boy to demonstrate. Harry responded quickly by setting Naruto back on his blanket before he took two balloons, one in each hand, and quickly made them pop. B just stared slack jawed. This little pipsqueak could do that, at what, age three?

"He's six and he's just passed," Jiraiya paused in his speech, a loud belch erupting from his mouth. The old man sat there for a few seconds lightly smacking his lips together before remembering what he was saying "He just passed the Genin exam," despite the lack of warning in his voice, Jiraiya's squinted glare and scowl was not missed by the jinchūriki. The two shared a heated staring competition, during which Harry regarded the two with his brow furrowed. "He's also a Namikaze," Jiraiya added as good measure while nodding his head once more. It elicited just the reaction he was expecting.

"Why would we ever want a pip-pip-p-p" B started to laugh, his mouthing tripping up his words. That sounded really funny! Pipsqueak was a funny word! "That's a funny word," the jinchūriki laughed, making Jiraiya laugh with him. They continued to laugh, which caused Harry to look between the two with slight concern.

"You two are very strange," Harry stated in his inarticulate speech while he backed away from the still laughing men. He made his way back to the balloon basket to finish the last of the balloons, all the while he shook his head at their childish antics.

* * *

><p>"This is about a hundred times harder," Jiraiya explained as he held out a little rubber ball, a whole basket waited beside them. B was leaning against the mountain side which jutted up in the middle of the training area, and watched with amusement as Jiraiya taught the six-year-old.<p>

Jiraiya had started the day by making the boy create a hangover remedy, not that the kid knew what the concoction's purpose was. He then had quizzed the boy over seals, and even threw in the tattoo on B's arm as one of them. To the jinchūriki's surprise, the boy immediately identified it as his bijū's containment seal. After the quiz, the Sannin had worked with the boy on making a few seals before they went out to the training fields.

Jiraiya had Naruto on his hip as they watched the six-year-old try in vain to pop the ball. Closing his eyes, Harry tried backing more chakra into the ball, thus making the ball's exterior protrude in places. It made Harry think of what Kushina went through when Naruto was feeling extra hyper, granted, his little fists did not raise any of Kushina's skin, but it was the thought that made Harry mentally snicker.

What was he doing wrong? The chakra was flowing in the right pattern and he was putting quite a bit of chakra into the plastic ball.

"Hey kid, you should take a break," B stepped forward; he knew the kid was pushing a large amount of chakra into the ball and if the boy continued on as he was, he'd bring his reserves down to a dangerous level. Jiraiya chuckled from his place, a knowing smile in place. Harry had more than enough chakra to keep at this for two or three hours more, but B didn't know that.

"Your face is turning red," B teased, which caused the boy to stop.

"I guess we can go back to reading about seals," Jiraiya stated with a bemused smile in place. B paled slightly at the thought, the morning had been so boring and he wanted to catch up with the old pervert, so he hadn't left them. Anything to break the monotony he was stuck to as the village's guardian ever since A took over as Raikage.

"Kid, you know how to use a sword?" Jiraiya's smile turned triumphant, unbeknownst to the six-year-old and twenty-year-old.

"Swords are too big for me, but I know how to use long knives, Jinchūriki-samma," the boy stated as he waited to see the point behind the man's inquiry with expectant emerald eyes. His head was tilted back to look up at the young man, and by doing so, his unruly black hair fell away from his eyes as his impish face regarded the other without moving into his mind.

"Close enough," B withdrew two of his swords and smirked down at the kid, "go get them, I'm gonna train you for a while,"

Jiraiya already had the knives out of the boy's pack and threw them at the slightly stunned child. "I'm going to go change Naruto," he called over his shoulder, his plan was succeeding.

* * *

><p>Three women were circled around Jiraiya, all of them were cooing over the little baby in his arms.<p>

"Oh!" one woman exclaimed as the baby began to gurgle and giggle. "You were so selfless to take them in," the woman gushed as she laid an arm on Jiraiya who nodded with tears in his eyes.

"Well, what else was I supposed to do? Their father was like a son to me," he chocked out, and stroked Naruto's head affectionately.

"You said your other Godson is five?" another woman asked, prying her attention away from the baby.

"He's six and Killer B is babysitting him while I took little Nato to get some medicine for his cold," Jiraiya explained with fondness in his voice, "B-san is probably teaching the little guy how to be ninja," the women cooed appropriately.

"Well, he's a hero of heroes," the third woman said, before poking little Naruto on the nose.

"I hope you raise these kids to be kind to the new Kyūbi vessel," the second woman stated sternly, "It wasn't the vessel that killed their parents, you make sure they know that!" the woman then poked Jiraiya in the chest to make sure he got the message. "We should have realized that sooner…" the three women sobered for a moment as their eyes hardened from remorse.

"We won't have to worry about that, none of the kids in the boy's generation are allowed to know what he is," the women perked up and stared at Jiraiya with confusion, but the first woman had a light bulb moment as her eyes widened and her mouth opened, unknowingly she caused the white haired man to envision very inappropriate things.

"They made the new jinchūriki's identity an S-Class secret?" she stated more than asked, regardless, at Jiraiya's nod the women around him moved closer.

"You know, B-san offered to watch them tonight," Jiraiya succeeded in keeping the hopefulness out of his voice. Man was he getting laid tonight, if the body language the women around him were presenting was anything to go off of. He knew taking on the brat and baby would be a good thing.

* * *

><p>"Where's that old man?" B exclaimed. His hands were on his knees as he began panting. Damn that little kid was fast, and he was always a step ahead of him. It was as if the brat could read his mind, but B was still a very skilled swordsman to the point that most of his moves were based on instinct, and thus required little to no thought.<p>

Harry for his part stayed in his crouch, his breathing was also labored. His head hurt and he felt drained. Whenever he looked at the man, he could see what the man was planning to do, but at the same time it took his focus away from the fight. Harry often caught himself stumbling as he paid attention to the other's thoughts and not his own surroundings, or he would be slashed by B's sword due to the man's instinctual fighting style. It was so confusing, focusing between the two. When he fought his father's clones he was so focused on his own thoughts he never ventured into the other's mind, in addition, the clones had their own mental defenses.

Wiping, blood, sweat and grime from his face, Harry regarded his opponent, the thoughts rushing him swirled about his mind and made him dizzy. He cast his eyes down from the other's eyes, which quieted the foreign thoughts.

"You're a fast learner," B praised in a nonchalant way, his hand snaked into his flak jacket to pull out his little book. The kid was pretty inspiring; B had several new raps to write down. Most of the new raps circled around not underestimating those smaller and younger than one's self.

"Thank you, Jinchūriki-sama," the boy bowed his head slightly, but his knives were still held up in the defensive manner B taught him. Knives were not swords by any means, but B was still well versed in their uses, not to mention the knives were like swords in the boy's hands. He could easily transfer his knowledge to that of swords when he grew, though at the same time, the boy was deadly with his dual long-knives.

B smirked as he admired his handiwork. He had cut the boy up pretty well despite, the boy's ability to infer his opponents' moves. Alas, B was not the only one to deal damage; the kid had stuck him several times.

Pocketing his rap book, B smirked. He was preparing to make a nice scar that would match the one on the brat's forehead, Harry's eyes widened as the thought came to him.

The cliff edge was behind Harry, and if he over shot his jump backwards he would tumble to his doom, but to move toward the other's blind spot would bring him in the way of the sword. B's smirk fell when his blade made contact with the wide eyed child, and he felt a pain erupt at his side. B blinked uncomprehendingly at the fading image of the brat, which he had his sword through. Harry pulled the knife out of the man's torso and stumbled backward before passing out.

Harry had panicked when he discovered there was no escape available to him. He saw the sword coming and knew he wouldn't get out of the way in time. In desperation he had cast his eyes toward B's side and the world slowed down around him as he moved toward that spot. His mind was still trying to catch up with his body when he found himself at the jinchūriki's side. He completed the Hiraishin and got out of the way of the sword! However, he felt exhausted and only had enough strength to stab B in the side before he succumbed to unconsciousness.

"He's a Namikaze, he's a Namikaze," it was a mantra for B as he stared at the unconscious child. "We don't mess with Namikazes," breathing deeply to stop himself from running to A and talking about the talented six-year-old, B continued his mantra.

After it was clear the kid had exhausted his reserves, B picked Harry up and threw him over his shoulder. The twenty-year-old hoped, for Jiraiya's sake, that the old man was at the hotel when he got there.

* * *

><p>"What happened to the brat?" Jiraiya came back to the hotel room minutes after B got there, which made the jinchūriki less inclined to behead him.<p>

"He pulled Blondie's signature move," drawled B as he glared down at the boy. He was still shocked that someone so young could pull that off.

"Again?!" Jiraiya set Naruto down on his blanket, and shook his head, "I'll go to a store and get him something for the headache he's bound to have," B was about to protest but the old man was already gone. It hit B then, what the old man was doing, which resulted in B clenching his jaw and fists.

"You perverted son of bitch!" he was about to run after the now giggling Sannin, but his conscience forced him to stay with the little kids, besides, that blonde baby was looking up at him with the most pitiful look in his vibrant blue eyes. It was like looking down at a stray puppy! It was against his morals to neglect a baby to hunt a certain sage, despite how rewarding that would feel.

B growled at the back of his throat as he flopped onto the couch next to the unconscious six-year-old and pulled out his Rap-Book. With his arms held in front of him and a hard glare directed at the innocent black book, he began to violently scribble onto its pale pages. All the while B mulled over the various ways to maim Jiraiya when the pervert came back home, a thin smile stretched over his face, which caused his eyes to gleam in the harsh electrical light emitting from the ceiling fixtures.

"Where's Jiraiya-sensei?" the little boy had woken up finally, and was now rubbing at his eyes tiredly before he winced at the florescent light of the hotel room.

"Fucking some bimbo," B replied without even thinking who he was speaking to, his gaze was fixed intently at the black book in front of him.

"What's fucking? Is it a jutsu?" the man felt a pressure on his lap, and when he peered over his notebook he found himself staring into large green eyes. Harry's hands were placed on B's thigh to help balance the boy as he stared up at the dark man.

"It's slang for fornication, and though some might say it's astounding, I doubt one would consider it a jutsu," at the boy's clueless expression B just shook his head and moved the kid out of his personal space. Honesty was the best policy, at least in B's book. Besides, it was best the kid new these things now that he was a ninja, especially with such a pervert as his teacher "Do you know how babies are made?"

"They crawl into a woman and she carries them for nine months?" Harry's forehead was furrowed as his head tilted to one side. His lips were pursed slightly in thought. He really did not know, no one would explain how Naruto got inside Uzumaki-san.

B blinked several times with his mouth slightly open. That was an unexpected response. He thought perhaps the boy would say a large bird dropped off the baby, or that the baby came out of a fire. Most children in Kumo were told that lightning struck the ground and a baby was born, so B assumed the Konoha children were told babies came from fire. But babies crawling inside of a woman, where had the child gotten that idea? There was no metaphor with which to work.

Narrowing his gaze, and pursing his lips, B began to drum his fingers against his thigh. … … Maybe he should come at the topic from a different angle.

"Do you know the anatomic differences between men and women?" Harry leaned back slightly from the large man and tilted his head to one side while he recalled his anatomy studies.

"Men have Adam's apples, and our bone density tends to be heavier. Women have a floating rib, lacteal ducts" the boy was going to continue when B held up his hand.

"I meant reproductive organs," Harry's eyes narrowed slightly at the new term.

"Re-repro-ductive?" the six-year-old tired out the new word, uncertain what it meant. There was no such term in his anatomy workbooks.

"What do you urinate with?" B tried a new approach, slightly appalled that a ninja, despite being so young, knew nothing about some of the most sensitive human organs. It was best the boy knew. Hell, men and women have died from infections festering down there.

"Father never explained, he said when I was thirty he would tell me and that little children aren't supposed to know," Harry's brow was slightly furrowed while his bottom lip protruded slightly. He didn't know why his father wouldn't tell him, but he never knew the importance of it either so did not push the subject.

B bit his lip to refrain from laughing but chocked sounds still made it out of his mouth before he was full out laughing. Great the kid had an overprotective father! What was his mother like then, an overbearing shadow? How the hell was this brat traveling with Jiraiya?

"What your father deems unworthy to explain, is a penis. You use it to urinate and ejaculate," B stopped the boy from fully sounding out the new term, "ejaculate," by holding up his hand. "You'll experience that when you're older. But babies are made when a man ejaculates inside of a woman, in other words, through sex"

Harry's brow was furrowed. As he began to open his mouth to ask another question, but B beat him to the punch, "Women have an organ inside of them which allows them to carry babies. The baby starts out as an egg and when a man's ejaculation reaches and breaches the egg, a baby begins to form," B explained slowly. "Women can die very easily when they are pregnant, certain plants and actions can be detrimental to both her health and the baby's health. If you're to become a ninja it's best to know these things, you can use it against your opponent should they be in such a condition.

"In addition, infections develop very easily in those parts of our bodies, and if the infection becomes too severe, we can die. You should know these things as a ninja; you could get yourself killed if you didn't. So, if something doesn't look right with the area around your genitalia you will want to see a healer," Harry let everything B said sink in before he nodded his head slowly but determinedly. The little boy quickly deduced that genitalia must refer to **those **parts for men and women.

"Thank you Jinchūriki-sama. But why didn't my father tell me those things if it's so important? And sex means more than if you're a boy or girl?" the boys inarticulate words came out in rush as he tried to ask all of his questions. It was still all confusing.

Chuckling, B gave his answer, "Well, usually kids your age don't know how babies are born and it's generally frowned upon if they do know" Harry frowned slightly, then why had B told him? "However, you are a ninja now, and you should know these things. You can even use sex against others," the six-year-old only looked more confused which caused B to shake his head slightly. "Pick up the baby and put on your shoes, I'll show you what I mean." After the boy did so and they began moving through the village via rooftops, B explained the different connotations of 'sex'.

"People use the word "sex" for several things. They use it to explain the act of creating a baby, they use sex to refer to gender or reproductive organs, and…" B paused in his explanation as they came to rooftop overlooking the market. B crouched down and pointed to a boy and girl in the street below. "What do you see?"

Harry cocked his head to one side, this operation felt reminiscent of the first bloodline training he had with his father, but it was much less frightening. "His face is red?" Harry supplied, even though he could hear the boy's thoughts loudly. He was not allowed to elude that he could read minds, Jiraiya-sensei ordered him. Regardless, Harry new the boy did not want to go shopping but the girl in front of him was trying to coerce him into going with her. Despite this the boy kept thinking the girl was 'pretty,' before the boy's thoughts started to turn to something else and made Harry uncomfortable.

The boy quickly pulled out of the other's mind and looked everywhere but at the boy. "Yes. Could you hear their conversation?" B whispered while trying not to pull the young couple's attention to their hiding spot.

"Umm…she wants to go shopping but he doesn't?" B nodded before jabbing the boy lightly with his elbow and gesturing to what was taking place below them. The girl now had her arms wrapped around the boy's neck and she was looking at him from beneath her eyelashes, the blush on the boy's face increased before he conceded to her request.

"Why did he give in?" Harry asked in his childish voice.

"The short answer is sex. Not only are our organs down there sensitive, but teenagers tend to think with them, even adults like your sensei," Harry nodded his understanding, though it was a naïve understanding. "You can manipulate people through attraction, as shinobi we must be able to seduce targets either to extract information or take them out," B looked into green eyes seriously, "For many people, attraction and sex are their biggest weaknesses, and a ninja's greatest advantage. Kunoichi are deadly for many reasons, their appeal is just another tool in their arsenal. You saw how easily that girl was able to manipulate that boy, think what kunoichi are capable of with their male opponents."

"I understand Jinchūriki-sama, but why would my father be afraid of telling me these things? If they're such a great tool why…." Harry trailed off, his earsbegan twitching at the sounds coming from below them.

B stiffened at the first few screams; while Harry's eyes grew wide and he paled.

"Someone's in danger?" Harry asked as a few more drawn out cries were heard. Harry looked down at the rooftop they were still crouched on. Green eyes widened further when he saw his sensei's energy surrounded by three other faint energies. "J-Jiraiya-sensei, h-he's hurting those women!" Harry exclaimed in shock and disgust before looking frantically at B who had his hand clamped firmly over his mouth, but B's body still shook in laughter despite it being silenced.

There was a high pitched gasping scream that caused the six-year-old to jump slightly and rush to the edge of the roof. He was ready to put an end to the torture his sensei was putting those poor women through. However, no sooner did he make his resolve was he pulled against B's white flak jacket.

"You really don't want to interrupt them," B managed before chuckling. "They're…having sex," Harry became very still, his face was white as a sheet while his mouth and eyes were wide open. The next drawn out cry made the boy lurch slightly, as he felt nauseous.

"N-No w-won-wonder f-father n-never explained," Harry couldn't finish his sentence, for he was too scared and disturbed. He turned around and clung tightly to B with Naruto nestled carefully between them.

"Let's get out of here," B whispered. He hoped the boy would not be scarred for life, though it would serve the old pervert right.

As Jiraiya was tossing and turning with the women from earlier today, he couldn't help but feel like something horribly bad was going to happen to him when they came back to Konoha. He shuddered at the thought of a red light being trained on him for hours on end, shit.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Suivre<br>**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**_**  
><strong>I personally have never been drunk so I just used my experience with drunks to describe that scene, but I feel like they came off more high than drunk. Also, Does it make sense now, why B explained sex to Harry, he can use it on his missions in the future and what if he got an infection down there and was too ashamed to go to anyone because he didn't know any better? I hope that makes sense. Let me know if this is too mature for Teen rating, I never now, and I felt like I was being overly cautious rating it M. I probably won't update for a while, maybe in March I will have time. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it ~ depressedchildren


	12. Chapter 7: Being a kid is like what?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, nor do I gain anything (but writing and editing experience) by using the plot and characters from these works. Naruto and and the Harry Potter series belong to their respective creators, editors, publishers, and companies.

_**Summary:**_ They were all trying to escape, whether it was from fate, war, grief, abuse, hate. They were all trying to escape. There are many Harry Potter spoilers for those who have not read the books, and spoilers for the Naruto series as well.

**A/N:** Yep, an update, I really have no excuse, it's just editing right now, but I don't want to do it. The main problem is that my writing style has changed some since I originally wrote a lot of this, so my issue is jiving it with my current writing style. But then I give up and just edit for grammar... So that's the delay, I just don't want to edit... Anyways, thank you to all who reviewed, put this on alert or favorite. Enjoy, much love ~ depressedchildren

**Key: **

_text_ is text

_levi corpus_ a known spell, usually a perversion of a Latin phrase

_"Dialogue" _the opposite language of the world they are in

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapitre Sept<strong>_

* * *

><p>When training started up the next day, Jiraiya noted the way Harry was avoiding him while B decided to actually do his job that day. For the first time, the Sannin found himself wanting his student's ability to read other's minds, what happened last night to make the boy so wary of him? Harry's shoulders were nearly up to his ears and his green eyes were trained on Jiraiya's chest with cold calculation. Yep, he was going to be subjected to that crucio jutsu when they got home.<p>

"Well, why don't I show you how to summon toads?" at the boy's back step Jiraiya cursed. What did B tell the boy? Jiraiya's mind whirled with possibilities yet the old man could not imagine what the twenty-year-old could have said to his student. Did he inform the child of his expenditures, his part in the Third Ninja War, his inability to keep his comrade from defecting? If only the perverted sage knew!

Harry watched in silence as the toad sage presented the seals Harry would need to make. How could such a childish and seemingly kind man do that to those women? Weren't they in pain? After all, they were screaming! Harry swallowed, he never wanted to have sex - it only seemed to cause pain

Refocusing on the seals being taught to him, Harry closed his eyes and brought forth his memories of his seal lessons. He knew the purpose behind each hand sign, the meaning of the blood used, and he comprehended how much chakra he was to use. A channel, so to speak, opened up between wherever the summoner was and the location of the summon. Due to the hand signs, the location was Mount Myōboku, and the amount of chakra channeled to the toad land determined which toad was able to come through. The boy understood all of this, yet nothing came of his efforts except a puff of smoke.

Naruto was resting against Jiraiya's chest in the baby strap, but the old man had to pass the baby off when he tried to summon one of his toads. This at least proved that the area was not the problem.

Jiraiya took the infant back and motioned for the six-year-old to do the seals again.

Looking critically at the boy's form, Jiraiya concluded that Harry composed the correct hand signs and seemed to put the right amount of chakra behind the summoning. So what was hindering the boy from summoning a toad? … Maybe the boy just needed to be in a life threatening position?!

In spite of all these ponderings, half the day was wasted with the boy's attempts to summon a toad, and the rest of it was spent trying to pop the rubber balls. It was on their way back to the hotel, from the training area, that a plan formed in Jiraiya's mind. Shifting Naruto more securely in his arms, Jiraiya looked around with a smirk on his face and his gray eyes shining in the November sunlight.

They were walking along the edge of the mountain plateau, and there was sheer rock face below and across from them. Jiraiya knew the kid had the energy and that he knew what to do, thus he had no fear for the possible repercussions of what he was about to do. Waiting for the boy to walk ahead of him a little, Jiraiya made a well-placed kick that sent the six-year-old hurdling between mountains. Any second now the kid would -

Jiraiya's thoughts came screeching to a halt when he heard a pop, and there, before his rapidly blinking eyes, appeared a shaking six-year-old. Harry's green eyes were wide, dark, and trembling as they regarded his teacher. The boy's mouth was partially open as harsh bursts of condensed air escaped into the chill mountain air. Harry's little chest was racing up and down as he tried to breathe but found he could not get enough air into his lungs, partially because each breath was like a knife diving down his throat. His whole body shook in addition to the heaving from each deep lungful of air that did not seem to satisfy the burning in his chest.

Cursing, Jiraiya rushed to the boy's side only to have him flinch away, understandably this time. Damn it! "You're hyperventilating, calm down, breathe slowly," if only he had a bag! Shit! What did he do wrong?

"Here," Jiraiya looked up to see B handing him a small bag with which to calm the kid's breathing.

How long had the jinchūriki been watching them? Jiraiya wondered, as he worked to get the boy to breath into the bag, thus regulating the amount of air entering the six-year-old's lungs.

Gray eyes narrowed at the dark man crouching beside him, why hadn't B stepped in sooner? Where had he been hiding? Was he enjoying the aftereffects of whatever he told the impressionable child? In fact, why was this young Jōnin seemingly turning Jiraiya's student against him? With Harry composed and scooting closer to the now kneeling B, Jiraiya's suspicion seemed to confirm itself. The damn twenty-year-old **was** trying to turn Harry against him!

"Did you try summoning a toad?" Jiraiya began in a gruff voice, eyes zeroed in on B, he was still trying to work out what the Kuma-nin was doing. The boy, who was practically sitting in said Kuma-nin's lap, nodded adamantly, thus causing Jiraiya to furrow his brow and divert his attention on the six-year-old, "Then you should have been able to summon a toad. Hell! You probably could have gotten Gambunta!"

The Sannin's brow scrunched up, which caused his eyes to squint as he gazed at the air in front of him. There had to be a reason as to why the kid would not be able to summon anything when in such a state of distress.

They might have to talk to an elder toad if this continued, Jiraiya surmised, his expression clearing. But at the moment he needed to get the boy comfortable with him again before they were going to head back to Konoha in order to visit Mount Myōboku. In fact, he needed the boy comfortable with him to continue to be his teacher.

* * *

><p>"Keep reading those scrolls, I'll get it," Jiraiya got up from the hotel bed, Naruto nestled in his arms, to yell at whoever was knocking on their door. Jiraiya was not in a pleasant mood, not only had he not gotten laid the night before but he seemed to have damaged his student's trust in him. He didn't need the boy to feel like that when had just started to act like a child.<p>

If it had not been for B, Jiraiya doubted the boy would have slept the night before. The sage was not sure what the jinchūriki had said to make the boy wary of him the other day, but Jiraiya knew he blew it with the boy either way when he kicked him over the mountain side. B's presence seemed to reassure the boy that things would be okay, and he was able to keep Harry breathing normally after his free-fall experience. The twenty-year-old even stayed with them for dinner and bedtime. He wasn't sure what exactly B did, but he helped the boy.

With a sigh, Jiraiya opened the hotel door to be greeted by the object of his thoughts. The young Jōnin walked in without being welcomed and went straight to the boy siting on the floor surrounded by scrolls. "Hey Brat," B squatted down so as not to loom over Harry. B had always hated it when adults stood over him like towering obelisks, it made him feel unsafe, even pressured. He could only imagine the little six-year-old would feel the same.

"Good morning Jinchūriki-sama," Harry greeted voice less enthusiastic than it had been the past few days.

"Have you ever had dango before?" green eyes bore into his own with a blank stare, "I'll take that as a "no"," B stated in an almost cheerful manner, before pulling the kid to his feet. "I'm stealing your student and the baby," B then jerked his head toward the sleeping Naruto in Jiraiya's arms, gesturing that Harry go take him.

Damn, there went his chick magnet! And the brat still flinched back when he came over to pick up Naruto! Damn it!

Jiraiya managed to keep his facial expression neutral, while his student was shepherded out of his sight. His gray eyes picked up every little movement, analyzed all he could in his student's actions for an answer. As the boy was leaving he discovered nothing new, but he quickly caught the young Jinchūriki's vest when he was about to leave.

Reflexively, B had a kunai to the sage's neck. However, he dropped it in the face of the older man's stern expression and hard gray eyes. Two sets of dark eyes shifted to the hallway where Harry was looking at them, his expression guarded.

"Why don't you go down to the lobby," B suggested in a commanding tone, before shifting back to the old man. He knew the child would heed his words, and sure enough the light "tack" of a trained ninja walking away was heard.

"What did you tell him? What do you think you're doing?" Jiraiya's fist clenched in the Jōnin's flak jacket before he dropped his hand and fixed the young man with stony eyes. "He's my student," the statement was a low growl, a mere preamble to his following words "He is a Konoha ninja, do you plan to kidnap him like your country," the Sannin was interrupted, and for once his tone held no joke when in reference to **that **situation. Jiraiya's jaw was set in a hard line while his gray eyes seemed to bore into B's soul.

"I wouldn't dare," B growled back, stepping into the older man's space and managing to loom over Jiraiya in spite of their slight height difference. "I explained what you were doing the night before," Jiraiya suddenly found his shoulders, down through his arms, tense. Red light flashed before his mind's eye, and the muted sounds of his own screams echoed in his mind. Shit.

"Are you aware his parents never informed him of his own body? He may be a child but he is a ninja and he needs to know everything he can to have an advantage over his enemies." B's eyes were narrowed when he finished speaking, and his arms came up to fold over his chest.

"I imagined as much," Jiraiya sighed, lips set in a firm line, "You explained sex to him?"

"Vaguely, no detail,"

"Then what had him acting like," Jiraiya choked over an appropriate word to describe the boy's previous behavior, his arm closest to the hallway flailing slightly.

"I took him to the market to see first-hand the powers women have to manipulate men. We just happened to be above where you and….your women…" B rolled his wrist, consequently making his hand move in a circular fashion as he trailed off for the second time. He could not believe the old man, how could he have a threesome - or was it more than that!? – within a day of being in a city that knew all of his tricks? Any man had to admire the pervert for his prowess.

"I take it he assumed I was hurting them?" Jiraiya let out a breath he was not aware he was holding when B nodded slowly. At least the boy had not seen what he was doing. Perhaps his innocence was still intact and Jiraiya would not be blamed for defiling that psychotic ANBU operative's son. He would let the boy believe he had harmed those women during the process of sex, it would likely keep the boy from every trying it himself. Inwardly, Jiraiya flinched. The poor boy – now he really would never experience the joys of sex!

With a heavy sigh, Jiraiya focused back on the young Jōnin, "You better not keep him waiting, his curiosity gets the better of him," the old man gave the young man a faint smile, fatigue showing in his eyes "stupid brat," he grumbled under his breath before moving into the room.

B inferred that as his dismissal and began after the six-year-old and one month old.

* * *

><p>Harry was seated opposite B as he fiddled with two bare dango sticks. It had been surprisingly wonderfully delicious. He had never had such a treat before, and he was certain his father would never treat him to such a thing. He would never be good enough, and he would rather hear about his mother than have something sweet.<p>

"What did you think of it?" B started conversationally, gesturing with his hand toward the sticks in Harry's hand.

The boy looked up through his bangs, centering his gaze on the older male's lips. It kept him from delving too far into one's mind – it was like skimming the edges of the other's mind. He was not sure how his father was able to control the reaction so easily, but Harry often felt like his head was spinning from the rush of thoughts and images. Even now he could see himself looking up at, well, B but it seemed like himself.

"It was good," Harry murmured slowly, looking away from the other as new thoughts surged toward him. What he would give for the silence of his father's mind. True, he couldn't look his father in the eye without entering his mindscape, but even then he did not hear his father's thoughts.

It felt wrong to Harry, to be able to constantly know what those around him were thinking. What gave him the right to know what others were thinking? Thoughts were meant to be private for a reason! Decisions yet to be made were abundant in people's thoughts, emotions lurked at every turn, plans and conversations saturated the environment. Nearly all of one's life lay bare before Harry, and it was frustrating. Wasn't there a turn off switch? Or did that come with age?

Though Naruto was different, he was difficult to read. It fascinated Harry every time he skimmed the surface of the baby's mind, for his thoughts were…were peculiar. Each noise, smell, sound, and feeling was new and befuddling to the baby. His mind would store each experience away, and when something occurred, the infant's thoughts would scramble around to find a match within its current database. It was fascinating. More often than not, the child thought by connecting how he felt at a particular time to each new situation.

"Brat!" Harry jumped at the loud bark. His eyes darted away from Naruto, who was snoozing in the highchair the small restaurant provided, and landed on a grumbling Jinchūriki. B had his arms folded over his chest, a frown set in place while he shook his head. Had…Had the Jōnin called for Harry's attention more than once? It seemed that way, but Harry became aware that that was, indeed, the case by the loud thoughts entering his own mind.

"Listen Kid," B began with a sigh as he moved to lean forward from his current position to resting his elbows on the table, "You can't let what happened yesterday bog you down."

What was he trying to say? Harry leaned back into his chair, directing his gaze at the Jōnin's flak jacket. Harry wasn't "bogged" down, he was reminded, harshly. His guard had become lax. His perception of danger was not as sharp as it had been. His father would be so…so disappointed. It could have cost Harry his life in a more hostile situation. Harry was just letting the lesson from the experience sink in.

"Many instructors do what the Old Man did to help students grasp the summoning technique better. Most students are too cautious, but when in a life threatening situation they can complete extraordinary feats, like summoning a summon to save them," B's expression was neutral, but the hard gleam to man's eyes told Harry how serious he was.

So…So Jiraiya had only been trying to give him an extra push? It wasn't to test his abilities? It was to help him learn?

"What?" Harry tensed slightly before relaxing. B must have noticed Harry chewing on his bottom lip with his brow furrowed. That must be the case; otherwise the man would not have snapped the question at the boy.

"I…" Harry looked up slightly, still keeping away from the other's eyes. "My father would have," Harry paused, trying to think of a word other than punish for the repercussions of letting down his guard. Sighing as nothing came to him, he tried a new approach. "A ninja isn't supposed to let down his guard, my father liked to drive home the possible consequences," Harry whispered, one shoulder raised slightly.

B gave a short grim laugh, his head tilted backwards as he leaned back into his seat. His arms were still folded over his chest, "Let me guess," B began, bitter smile in place. "He would beat you?"

Was it beating him? Was invading his mindscape and slashing his mental image a beating? It hurt so much, but it was not a physical attack, it was mental one.

"Why do you say that?" Harry responded after a pregnant pause. His eyes were marginally narrowed as he dared to look the other in the eye. Harry wanted to know the truth; he would not be lied to.

"You're too mature to be five. Kids like you often did not know how to view their parents when they were young – real young, like just over a year old. You probably weren't sure if your father was supposed to protect you or not," so far everything matched up with the man's thoughts, B was telling the truth. He was saying what he thought, and it was backed up by memories of old friends. "You feel like you need to be the adult, that or you can't trust him to protect you so you need to be your own adult, your own protector," is that what it really looked like? No, B had to be lying! Harry's father would protect him … wouldn't he?

"My father wants me to be strong. I have to be, we both have to be. Father says the Bad Man is still alive," Harry tore his gaze away from the other when he finished his desperate defense; he did not want to hear B's thoughts. Harry's fists were clenched tightly, nearly snapping the dango sticks in his hand. "The Bad Man can destroy Konoha, I have to be strong!"

"You can act like a child and still be strong," B began softly, despite his hard expression. "I acted like the child I was, but I still managed to be one of the strongest genin in my village."

He didn't like what B was saying. It hurt. His chest felt weird, and he felt small again. Harry's whole body was tense and felt warm. Harry couldn't stand it, where did B come off acting like he knew everything about Harry? The boy was on his feet, hands slammed against the top of the table, and his teeth gritted together.

"I'm not you! I'm not a jinchūriki, I wasn't neglected, and my father only comes at me with killing intent for training!" Harry's chest was heaving, his legs shook beneath him and his fingers dug into the wood of the table. The heat in his veins was dissipating now, but his face felt warm and his chest was tight. He felt sick. People were looking at him now. He could see his father shaking his head in Harry's mind's eye; the boy could see James turn his back on Harry with disappointment screaming in his body language.

B let the boy get his breathing back in check before he slowly stood up, towering over the small boy. "You're right. You're not a jinchūriki, and no one has purposely tried to kill you. Good assumptions, on your part. You're correct on all counts about me," B was now around the table next the trembling boy. It was not with fear that he shook, but whether it was anger or embarrassment, B could not tell, he doubted the boy would know either way.

"However, you say you weren't neglected. Then why haven't you had dango before, I'm told it's a cheap and very common treat in Konoha. In fact, why'd you ask what nearly every dish on the menu outside the restaurant was? They're dishes you can find anywhere," Harry's face flushed further, one hand fell away from the table to clench at his side.

"What do you know about your family, hmm? Who is your mother, your grandparents?" Harry's eyes began to sting and he let out a short breath of air before gasping in more, "Why don't you have a name?" the tears slipped down his cheeks now, while his shoulders started to rise up to his ears. Harry let out small sob, he couldn't look at B, and he couldn't look at anyone.

"Ninja don't cry," he could hear his father's voice repeating those words over and over in his head. He could see his father shaking his head; he could almost feel the punishment he would receive for acting in such a disgraceful way.

"Why are you ashamed to show emotion?" Ashamed…Harry was ashamed? Was that what the debilitating pressure on his chest was, the flipping in his stomach, the burning in his face? "Were you ever allowed to play? Were you allowed to interact with other children your age?" Harry's legs gave out under him; he couldn't keep back his sobs anymore. B was right, right about everything!

Harry could see B kneeling down next to him, in spite of his closed eyes. B's two chakras swirled within the man. The bijū's chakra coated B's chakra as they weaved through his body. Harry saw the brightly glowing arms come to circle around him as he continued to cry, it looked like the impression of sunlight behind one's tightly closed eyes. The boy allowed himself to clutch onto the other's flak jacket and cry into the crook of his neck.

He could see B covering him, his chakra swirling around him. It was so…so comforting. "You can be a child now, Brat," B whispered, his voice gruff as usual. "You can be strong and still be a child. You can express your emotions. You're entitled to act foolish, because no one will judge you, so get it out now. Being a child is when you're allowed to make mistakes, so long as you grow from them."

Harry just held tighter to the man, it was as if a weight lifted off of him. B was right. His father wasn't here, so he couldn't do anything to Harry. Harry could be a child. But how did children act? They were destructive, and loud, and noisy and, and… but that was how his father saw children, were they really like that?

"H-How?" Harry asked in a trembling voice, finally opening his eyes to look at the man before him. Their eyes met, and Harry realized his mistake too late.

"What the hell?!" B's head whipped around, Hachibi behind him was presenting a similar reaction, before its eyes settled on the pale boy standing in the middle of their mindscape.

"Great another potter!" the demon groused, before sitting down heavily and glaring at the small and trembling boy. "I thought you all left us to rot."

B set aside his unease at finding someone else in his mind to stare at his tenant. His mouth was hanging open as his arms dropped to his sides. Both of his pale eyebrows were reaching his hairline while he blinked a few times at the demon. Harry was in a similar state except that his brow was furrowed and his mouth was only partially open.

"Did you just reference the potter myth?" Hachibi gave its vessel a blank stare, surprised the man had yet to leap onto its nose and sit down.

"Wh-what is this myth?" Harry was slowly edging toward B. Hachibi was much nicer than Kyūbi, that was most certain, but it was uncomfortable to be around a bijū and not be given death threats.

"A group of potters came up with the first jinchūriki," B supplied before fixing his demon with a determined expression, "Now why the hell do you think he's a potter? I've never seen the kid mold clay," B had a finger pointed at the now tense boy, when the demon looked like it would not give its reasoning, B jumped onto its nose, "Come on Hachibi-sama, spill it."

Harry blinked a few times, he doubted many jinchūriki were so comfortable with their tenants, but then again Hachibi seemed rather stable. In fact, their relationship was interesting. Hachibi was giving its human an almost indulgent expression, the sigh only confirmed Harry's guess.

"They were potters of," the demon began rather confidently before pausing and looking at the kid in their mindscape critically. Its mouth was open partially while it cocked its head to one side, thus causing B to jump of his demon and land next to the brat in question. Harry shifted slightly as the silence stretched and B's shoulders drooped.

"I can't remember why they're called potters but they can enter someone's mind with one look," Hachibi stated after a very pregnant pause, which caused B to shake his head before looking at the blushing child.

"So you can enter people's minds?" Harry felt his shoulders rising to meet his ears as he grimaced. "No wonder why you were a step ahead of me the other day," B regard the boy, lips pursed slightly, arms folded over his chest, and eyes narrowed marginally. "And that was how you knew about my past," Harry tried to control his reaction, but he still flinched.

"I'm sorry! I can't help it! I want to shut it off but I can't. I don't like it! It's wrong!" Harry had his eyes clenched tightly closed, his arms were stiff but still flailed about him in jerky motions, before coming to clutch his head.

Harry tensed up further when he felt arms wrap around him. Taking strained breaths through his nose, Harry stopped moving completely, lest it warrant unsavory consequences. His mind was just as vulnerable as B's was. He didn't think he could stand being harmed in such away at the moment.

"It's okay brat," the words did nothing to calm him down, it just made him stiller. "It's your bloodline, there's not much you can do. I noticed you try not to make eye contact, let alone look at people. I figured that could be from abuse but it's more out of your respect for others, right?" Harry nodded stiffly, "Cool, then you have nothing to worry about, okay Kid?"

"I noticed slight intrusions to our mind but it always skimmed the surface. You have more control than you think kid. Many people with your ability would not be so…kind," Hachibi stated, its voice reverberating through them. "Now get your asses up on my nose and talk to me. Do you know how boring it is being in a cage?!"

Harry blinked a few times, that was the first time he heard the demon swear. He certainly was less profane than Kyūbi. As B picked up the still blinking child to move them to the large eight-tail bull-octopus, Harry could not keep one thought to himself, "He said a bad word," by pure will B did not fall to the ground mid jump, it also may have helped that he altered his mindscape so that they fell into a slide that brought them onto the Hachibi's nose.

"Hey! I'm a large mass of chakra, I have no sex!" the demon barked out as the two landed on its nose. Its human stopped laughing, only to sigh and shake his head sadly, "Oi! Shut it," Hachibi directed at its vessel, earning dark eyes shining with amusement and a rather smug smirk.

"Anyways, Kid, call me Hachibi-sama," Harry nodded slowly as he was settled into B's lap atop the bijū's nose. "Now…" the demon began once more, peering at the two in front of it, if the creature had a humanoid form Hachibi would most likely have its hands touched together in the form of a steeple. "What else can you do, mind reader?"

* * *

><p>The two came to after nearly a half hour of sitting on the floor. The occupants of the restaurant had stared at the two for nearly half of that time. They were steadily growing more concerned. What was wrong with them? Why were they just staring at each other? It was disturbing to see the two seemingly frozen in position. Especially when there was a baby sleeping right beside them that could wake up at any minute!<p>

B looked around for a moment, and then tilted his head back to look at the sun's position. Standing up coolly when he noticed their audience, B held his arms in front of him. "What? A guy can't have staring match anymore?!" B then nodded his head back, daring anyone to comment.

Harry had risen to his feet by this point, but his head hung down as his cheeks flushed. B could hazard a guess as to why the boy was reacting so, he was uncomfortable with such attention. He interacted with a very small amount of people, and on top of that, no matter what he did it was never enough to appease his father. B felt the same often. B was ostracized for years because of what he contained, and his best efforts were never enough for the village. He could really relate with the kid.

Quickly paying the tab, B ushered the boy out while he settled the still sleeping baby on his hip. Really, how much did this baby sleep? Did he store all his energy up for during the night when he could wake up his caretakers? Man, B was glad he wasn't either of the Konoha-nin.

B finally risked speaking once they were well away from prying ears, "We were in there for what seemed like hours, how has only half of one passed?" B hissed, eyes diverting to a movement on a roof above them. His expression was neutral, his arms casually folded over his chest. Harry titled his head back to look at the other before focusing back on the village path in front of him.

"Your brain sends thoughts throughout your body really fast," Harry began, his words running together due to his youth, "And each dream you have takes up a few seconds, why would the mindscape be different?" The boy's shoulders had risen up slightly in a shrug as he finished his inarticulate explanation.

B nodded slightly, his lips coming out into a frown as he thought over what the boy said. It did make sense. One's mind did work at a faster pace than one's body often did. It was understandable that hours in one's mind would be little time outside of it. Laughing slightly, B looked down at the six-year-old walking beside of him. He couldn't believe how quickly he had come to care about the kid, perhaps it was the boy's skills as a combatant, perhaps it was because of all the pain he carried, or perhaps it was because Hachibi accepted the kid after a few minutes of talking with him.

B's thoughts were quickly derailed when a red blur smashed into his muse. B quickly stifled a laugh as the boy was rolled away by the force of the impact and quickly found himself in a tangle with the one to collide with him. Why hadn't the boy dodged? He proved he was a capable…Oh! There were ANBU behind them… B glanced over his shoulder to confirm what he already knew.

Right…Jiraiya probably told the boy to keep his abilities on the down low in case he might disappear during the night. He wouldn't put it past his country, in fact, he sort of wanted to steal the kid and make him an apprentice. Alas, it seemed the boy was going to be the infamous sage-pervert's protégé.

"Hey! Watch where ya going!" the red headed thing shrieked in mangled speech, while trying to untangle limbs from a rather uncomfortable Harry. "Who ya think you are, huh?" B could now discern that it was a young girl, and about the brat's age by the look of it, maybe a year younger.

"Uh…" B coughed to hide his snicker when wide green eyes turned to him, beseeching for help, or some sort of response.

"What!? Say sorry now!" the spiky red haired girl demanded, as she got to her feet to loom over the boy still sitting on the floor. Harry's mouth was partially open, his brow slightly furrowed, while he continued to look for B for help.

After a few impatient foot taps from the fuming girl, Harry turned slowly around toward the other child. "I…I'm sorry?" there was a minute rise to one of the boy's eyebrows while his head was cocked to one side.

"You better be!" the girl nodded her head confidently, her arms now folded in front of her. "I'm Karui, by the way," she greeted, looking away from the boy.

"Eh….It's nice…to…meet you?" Harry slowly stood up, dusting his pants off, all the while looking to B with his wide eyes. B nodded his head minutely, assuaging the boy's fears by confirming that he was reacting correctly.

"What! You're too good to tell me your name?!" the girl roared, hands on her hips once more. Karui's gold eyes narrow and her brow furrowed. Harry instantly flushed, his mouth flapping open and closed as he sputtered out weak syllables. Occasionally, the flustered boy would look at B out of the corner of his eye for help. B could read the look in those eyes. What was he supposed to say? Was the question in them.

"Karui-chan," B stepped forward, as much fun as it was to see the boy flounder about, it was becoming painful to watch the stoic boy in such a condition. Not that it would appear so to most bystanders. Harry's actions were still small, and his flush was only a slight dusting of pink. Any ninja would tell that the boy was uncomfortable, but not terribly so. However, B was sure that he and Jiraiya would be able to tell the boy was horribly uncomfortable with the situation.

"This is Nami-kun," B finished his introduction; the gold eyed redhead looked up at him with wide eyes before smiling broadly at the boy.

"You know Jinchūriki-sama!?" Karui asked quickly, grabbing tightly to the boy's hands and jumping slightly. Biting his tongue while Harry was rendered speechless for the moment, B refrained from shouting something along the lines of, 'Of course he does idiot brat, listen to your elders,' too something marginally more subdued.

"I introduced him didn't I?" B stated blandly, he look the girl right in the eyes until she flushed and fidgeted around a bit.

Scuffing her feet into the pavement, Karui clasped her hands behind her back and pursed her lips. "Umm…." She started and B stepped back a few paces, zeroing in on Harry with narrowed eyes when the boy began to side step toward him. He shook his head minutely, causing Harry's shoulders to tense. The brat better be listening to his thoughts right now, because moving away from the girl would have very bad consequences on their eardrums. Not to mention, the boy would be missing out on a wonderful opportunity which came with childhood.

"'d you want to pay Ninja, Nami-kun?" Karui finally blurted out, rocking onto her toes and back to her heel.

"I…umm…" B snickered when the boy didn't even look his way, he at least learned that B was not going to help him in this situation. "I've never played," the reaction to Harry's softly spoken words was instantaneous.

Karui's mouth dropped open and her gold eyes widened far past the width most children's eyes were supposed to go. Her small fingers quickly circled around Harry's pale wrist as she began racing off toward the nearest playground, "You never played Ninja before!?" she screamed before rambling on and on about how it 'was the greatest game in existence, next to "ANBU and Nuke-nin".'

B chuckled as he followed after the two children at a more sedated pace. Slowly taking out his rap book to write down whatever came to him, while he bounced a now awake blonde against his hip.

* * *

><p>Jiraiya looked up from his place on the couch in the hotel room. His foot had not stopped twitching for the past half hour while he read over scrolls listlessly. He didn't even go to a bathhouse while he waited, because he wasn't sure when the three would come back. He needed to talk to the brat – he had to explain himself! Maybe he should just go to a bathhouse to ease his nerves, the giggling of women had always put his mind to a happier place in the past. But the sun was nearly set, where the hell were they? Jiraiya couldn't go out now, they had to be back soon. Oh…. If B kidnapped his student-<p>

"We're back," in a white and red blur Jiraiya was looming over the dark-skinned twenty-year-old. Jiraiya's eyes were wide while his mouth was drawn into a tight line and his nostrils flared.

"Where the fucking hell have you been!?" the Senin's carotid arteries protruded as he yelled at the younger man. Spittle flew out of his mouth, splattering onto the unimpressed jōnin's face.

B sidestepped the enraged man and wiped at the spit on his face with the back of his hand. "Chaperoning the brat on his first date," B stated calmly, making his way to sit down before bouncing a giggling Naruto on his knee. Jiraiya turned slowly around to look between the little boy and the two jinchūriki. The white haired man's mouth was partially open while his eyebrows furrowed.

"What's a date?" Harry asked softly before taking his seat on the floor surrounded by scrolls.

"You're too young to have dates, not until your thirty," Jiraiya was no longer looking at the boy, his gaze fixed on the smirking jinchūriki. Jiraiya's heart was beating quickly in chest, this was not good, there would be a red light on him when they got back to Konoha, he didn't want that to happen! It was only their third day in the stupid village!

"Why does everybody use thirty as the go to age?" Jiraiya shrugged in response to his to the jinchuuriki's amused question before sitting down shakily next to the still smirking B. Harry peered up from his scroll and tilted his head to one side before writing them off as crazy and turning back to his seal theory. By all the gods did he love that topic!

"Well, Old Man, I couldn't rudely pull him away from his first girlfriend, now could I? It goes against our code," B absently poked Naruto on the nose, after which the blonde's pudgy fingers went to wrap around the man's digit. Little coos rose over the sudden silence emitting from the older man next to them.

Jiraiya's heart was stopped in his chest, this was not good. "He is too young to have a girlfriend! You're mistaken," the old man's chest was rising and falling quickly, his eyes were wide open and he was shaking his head back and forth. Oh gods, this was not good. Shika was going to **kill** him for allowing his son to have a girlfriend!

"What's a girlfriend?" Harry asked, sighing as he set his scroll to the side. It was more than apparent that he would not be able to read for a while with the way those two were carrying on.

As Jiraiya sputtered for a response, B calmly and coolly made his own, "Karui-chan, she kissed you on the cheek when you two were hiding in that bush for an ambush," Harry's shoulders rose up to his ears while he looked down at the floor, his face flushing slightly. He had only been kissed by his father, cousin and Uzumaki-san but they were only family so it was weird that Karui-chan had kissed him.

"Why'd she do that?" Harry asked while Jiraiya continued to stare between the two with wide gray eyes, an open mouth and a deathly pale complexion.

"Because she likes you," B teased, voice rose slightly in pitch from its usual baritone, purposely elongating 'likes.'

"But she kept yelling at me, and pushed me around, and kept blaming me for her mistakes…" Harry trailed off when the two adults dropped their heads into one hand before shaking their heads. Was he missing something? Jiraiya was the first to recover, raising his head up while his hand lowered to cover his mouth while he exhaled deeply.

He just had to face the facts, no matter what, he'd be tortured when they came back to Konoha. Though was having an innocent childhood girlfriend really such a terrible thing? It wouldn't defile the kid in anyway, right? Oh who was he kidding, that psychotic ANBU never even told his kid about every guy's best friend, he doubted the man wanted him to have girlfriends.

"Some girls your age act abrasive with the boys they like. When they hit puberty they usually change tactics…" Jiraiya sighed in defeated, shaking his head again while a frown marred his expression. "Don't tell your father about any of this, he'll" Jiraiya quickly clamped his mouth shut before laughing sheepishly and rephrasing what he was about to say, "He'll yell at me. He probably wanted to be there for your first girlfriend," B and Harry just looked at him with deadpan expression.

"I know my father tortured you before we left Konoha. I…I recognized your symptoms," Harry quickly bowed his head, his small fists clenched the material of his pants, he didn't want to see his teacher's reaction.

Jiraiya saw red for a moment. He was on his feet, his hands clenched at his sides while he ground his teeth together. He looked over to see how the jōnin was taking the news and faltered slightly at the grave expression. B already knew about this? The brat told him before he told his own teacher?!

"He shouldn't even have parental rights!" Jiraiya growled before dropping onto one knee in front of his downcast student. "No one would ever excuse physical torture for training," Jiraiya's voice was tight and shaking. His eyes were stinging but he held his angry tears at bay.

"It was mental training," Harry spoke up softly, "Father's only ever physically hurt me during a spar," the boy clarified, causing Jiraiya to pale further and swallow thickly. One hand gravitated up toward his mouth as he took a few calming breaths.

B remained silent, staring down at the floor in front of him. They had talked about this in his mindscape. Harry explained his abilities, abilities his father often tested. B was livid when the boy told him; he even molded his mindscape into a training field where he let out some of his anger. Everything instantly fixed its self and obviously left no damage on his psyche but it certainly calmed him down.

Jiraiya was in a similar state to how B first reacted. How could the boy's own father attack his mind? It was still developing! Jiraiya closed his eyes slowly, he felt stretched, weary. No wonder the boy never acted like a child, he had to be his own adult, his father certainly wouldn't be his protector.

"Nami-kun," Jiraiya began, gently placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. He was thankful the boy only tensed and did not shy back. "Please tell me you will no longer be training or living with him?" Harry looked up slowly before he nodded.

"I should be living with Kakashi-san when we return home," two sighs permeated the air from the now relieved adults. Jiraiya gently tugged the boy into a hug, tucking the boy's head beneath his chin.

"Good, because no child deserves to live that way," Harry flushed in his current position. Was it truly such a travesty, what he had been through? Both men seemed to think so…did that make his father a bad man? What would his mother have done or said? Would he have lived this way if his mother was alive, if both his parents were dead?

Either way, he felt safe right now. He knew Jiraiya wouldn't hurt him, that he wouldn't test him the way his father had. Everything he did was to help him learn, help him grow. Perhaps it was unorthodox, but Jiraiya never punished him for being unable to grasp something –he was never looked at like a disappointment. Harry's nose began to burn while his eyes stung. He didn't want to cry again, ninja weren't supposed to cry! But moisture slipped down his cheeks anyway.

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><p>For a week they tried again and again for the boy to summon a toad. After the thirtieth try each day, B would intervene and work with the kid on his knife skills. So far the boy could wield four at a time, which made the jinchūriki feel proud of Harry's progress. Maybe the kid could learn to fight with eight as B was prone to fighting?<p>

B did more with the boy than just train him in the art of blades. He also taught Harry a little history and talked about diplomacy between the other countries. Though, he wasn't the only jinchūriki seeking to mentor the bright child, which led to one of B's proudest moments.

Yugito had happened upon them training and was thoroughly surprised. It was not every day one saw the feared and respected 'Jinchūriki-sama' playing with a child; for truly, that was what it looked like, despite there being knives involved. The kunoichi watched B smile as he worked with the little boy, laughing at times. She had never seen her fellow demon vessel so happy. Perhaps she should drop a few hints to A-sama about B taking on a Genin team.

The teenage girl stifled the laughter building inside of her at the sight she was now witnessing. It seemed the child had successfully disarmed the master swordsman and kicked him in the back of the knees with a clone. With his opponent neutralized, the child now sat on B's chest, leaning forward slightly and smiling excitedly.

"Jinchūriki-sama, will you tell me more about the princess from Shimogakure?" he was telling the boy old historical stories!? Yuugito could barely contain herself as she watched her senpai interacting with the child.

"Only after you summarize the Suna incident," the boy seemed to deflate slightly, but still began to rattle off the key points which occurred during that specified event. B just nodded, encouraging the boy to continue talking while he sat up, which caused the boy to fall onto his lap. Not that that deterred the child.

The boy finally finished his summary and took one refreshing breath, "Why's there a girl laughing?" without looking at Yugito, the boy was pointing her out, all mirth drained from her as B slowly turned his head in the indicated direction. Crap!

Composing herself, the young jinchūriki walked calmly from her hiding place toward the duo and smiled pleasantly, "Nii Yugito, two tails container," she bowed slightly while introducing herself.

"Namikaze," the boy greeted in return, thus causing the teenager to right herself and regard the boy with wide eyes and an open mouth. "Cousin Minato let us take his last name," the boy explained, already knowing where the woman's thoughts had traveled to. One shoulder was raised slightly as his face scrunched into a partial grimace, was he embarrassed? No…he was shy, Yugito could tell.

"What do you want?" B had withdrawn his Rap-Book from his flak jacket and was currently scribbling in it. He was not pleased with the young kunoichi interrupting his training session with the boy. B finally accepted the fact that Jiraiya would dump him with the brat half way through the day so he could flirt with women in the village, using Naruto to soften them up and melt away memories of the last time he was in Kumogakure.

But B wasn't going to complain. He enjoyed the boy's company, and he had never met a more enthused learner. Every story he told the boy, beginning from the time in his mindscape, would be lapped up with bright green eyes. The boy truly loved to learn, it was not for power, but for the simple joy of knowing something. The more time they spent together the more expressive the boy became, especially when they would meet up with Karui after training. But, B's thoughts were derailed by the fourteen-year-old in front of them.

"I was just on my way home from training when I saw you two. I have to say, Namikaze-kun, you are very good with your knives. Do you think I could teach you a shuriken technique?" the teenager had crouched down to address the boy easier, remembering how uncomfortable she felt when adults would tower over her.

"Hey!" B was glaring at her from his position on the ground, Harry still sitting in his lap without a care in the world. "I was teaching him first,"

"Yes Senpai," there was an amused edge to her voice, "perhaps tomorrow then?" she suggested, on golden eyebrow raised while her harsh features softened with a smile.

That would not do, Harry was his brat to train, well…technically Jiraiya was the boy's teacher, but over the past week it felt like B was the kid's teacher too. Hell, Hachibi even began claiming the kid was their little…what was the term the bull-octopus used? It was the equivalent of kid, not that B really minded. The kid just drew B in with little effort; he weaseled his way into B's ring of precious people within the first few days of knowing him.

"The brat can decide tomorrow," with that said, B withdrew a rubber ball from his pocket and gave it to the kid; signifying that their training session would be over soon. Yugito smiled to herself as she hurried away, already planning what she would teach the boy. From the looks of it the kid was like a sponge, soaking up what he was taught.

Harry continued to sit in B's lap while he worked on popping the rubber ball. The chakra inside the ball made protrusions similar to a mace, but it refused to burst. After ten tries, B interrupted the boy's concentration, hoping to keep him from becoming too frustrated.

"Yugito-san, she's the second jinchūriki in our village," Harry nodded his head, having recognized the mixed chakras from earlier and having paid attention to her introduction. With a sigh, he let the ball drop from his hand and he turned to face B better.

"She's," Harry couldn't think of the word and so interlocked his fingers, "like that with her bijuu,"

"Yes, she's in tune with her tenant, mastered it even. Of course, when we do that we become more like our tailed beast. I mean, cats and teenagers are bad enough, but she's both," B gestured with his head in the direction Yugito left. The pieces were being set for his ingenious plan to be the boy's sole jinchūriki teacher. Thankfully the man kept his expression neutral as he spoke, he did not want to elude what he was planning.

"How are cats bad?" B gave his best shocked expression before he shook his head slowly.

"You have much to learn, but…experience is the best teacher," it took all of his will to keep from smirking while Harry stared up at him with wide green eyes. "I'll show you where all of the cats hangout in the village," without really thinking, B stood up, carrying the small child against his hip. Harry just scrunched up his face and looked forward to where they would be heading.

After a few minutes of running through the village with the six-year-old clinging to him, B came to an alley filled with cats. To be honest, he allowed the kid to be close to him so that his scent would rub off on him. To the cats he had an underlying 'fish' smell, which made them want to attack. B set the boy down and as he straightened he hid his smirk behind his Rap-Book.

"I've never been this close to a cat before," Harry whispered, crouching down with his hand extended toward the felines in the alley.

"You were wise to be distant," Harry turned his head to the side with his brow furrowed. Since his attention was elsewhere, he did not see the predatory expressions gracing the approaching cats' faces.

The little boy cried out in shock when he was pounced on by one cat and bitten by another. He quickly scrambled away but more cats jumped onto him, nipping and scratching at him. B was shaking with mirth, but was quick to aid the child. He didn't want him traumatized, just wary and distrustful of cats.

He brushed the cats off of the boy, earning a few scratches himself, however the animals were quick to understand that he was the fishy one. With Harry clear of the cats, B became the new target.

"Why are they attacking?!" Harry's green eyes were wide and dark, shimmering with fear, childish fear. His hands would not stop shaking as he back stepped out of the alley.

"Because that's what cats do," B finally got the last cat off him, Hachibi was already healing him. "Run!" Harry did not need to be told twice and quickly fled the evil alleyway, B silently laughing behind him. All according to plan!

The next day, after Jiraiya worked with the boy and ran off with Naruto to flirt with unsuspecting women, Yugito joined the two males again.

"So, Namikaze-kun, would you like to learn that shuriken trick I was talking about?" the little boy was tense around her and he shook his head quickly. His green eyes were wide as he watched every movement she made, like she was about to attack him. Each muscle spasm was caught in the boy's sharp yet trembling eyes.

"No thank you," his voice was small and wavered slightly with, what the teen believed to be, fear. "I only know how to use senbon and kunai anyways," Harry added, subconsciously moving closer to B, who was laughing softly.

"What did you do, Senpai?" Yuugito's eyes were narrowed in an accusatory fashion, her hands found their way to her hips. She knew the boy wasn't afraid of her because she was a jinchuuriki, it had to be some other reason.

"I merely showed him the evil of cats," shaking her head slowly, the girl hissed at him before running away to train. That selfish jerk, he needed to find his own students to teach!

"I don't like cats," Harry whispered softly, moving close enough to B for his shoulder to touch the man's leg. His eyes were wide and his face pale. He really, **really** did not like cats.

"Me neither," B ruffled the boy's messy hair, a satisfied smile in place. All according to plan.

* * *

><p>At the end of every day the kid would work on trying to pop the rubber ball, but to no avail. After spending a month in Kumogakure, they were going to go back to Konoha and Harry just wanted to make a Rasengan before he did. Screaming in a childish desire to show his frustration, Harry threw the rubber ball as far as he could away from his person.<p>

He felt a bit like Karui when the girl didn't beat him at a race, one which she started and would give herself a head start. But it was so frustrating. He did his best, but it wasn't enough! Just like Karui trying to beat him at speed.

Glaring down at his hand he started to circulate the chakra in his hand to make a Rasengan. He didn't get why he couldn't make the rubber ball explode, it was driving him nuts. He couldn't summon a toad and he couldn't pop the rubber ball! Closing his eyes angrily, tears of frustration sliding down his face, Harry kept forcing his chakra into his hand.

The only thing he'd been successful with the last few weeks was his progress in knife-play. Though B wouldn't openly admit it, the boy knew the man was proud of him. That was an emotion he recently learned his father expressed often. The light in his father's usually dull brown orbs was pride, and B shared that emotion when Harry was able to fight with four knives or recite a historical event.

So why was this so hard? He could Hiraishin, he could imitate the chakra circulation perfectly for the Rasengan, but it never worked. Yelling in his frustration, Harry smashed his hand into the ground, only feel the mountain shake beneath his hand.

Blinking his eyes open, Harry found himself standing in small carter as tall as him. Jiraiya could be heard above Harry clapping and laughing, for once not running off to flirt, mainly because B had the old man's secret seduction weapon, Naruto.

"Congratulations, you made a successful Rasengan!" Harry couldn't believe it, and accordingly fell onto his bottom in shock.

Sitting in his own carter, Harry held up his left hand and began circulating his chakra through it in the correct pattern. Sure enough, a small orb of blue chakra swirled in his hand. Closing his hand Harry tried it with his right hand again. The same results occurred. He did it? He did it!

Jumping up, Harry ran out of the carter and tackled his teacher while laughing. Fortunately B was holding Naruto. The Jinchūriki had taken a liking to the little baby, having known from day one it was Uzumaki's offspring; the eyes gave him away. The spiky blonde hair also identified the babe as Namikaze's, though keeping to his mantra, he did not tell a soul. After all, they did not mess with Uzumakis or Namikazes, and that boy was both of those families.

"Don't get too full of yourself, Kid, you still haven't beaten me in a one on one spar," B teased, as he bounced a giggling Naruto on his hip, a smirk firmly in place. Harry sat up on his teacher's chest, and turned to B with marginally narrowed eyes, which glimmered like crackling green flames. The boy nodded once, knowing that he had yet to be the man without the help of clones.

"Next time we're here, we'll fix that," B couldn't contain his laugh, noting that the boy was chuckling too. He would be looking forward to that visit. The boy was certainly something else.

"Yeah, I'll make sure of it," the corner of B's mouth quirked upward, "I'll also make sure you say hi to your girlfriend, when you visit" the two adults chuckled at the boy's slight flush at the mention of his brash friend Karui. Telling her good bye would be an interesting but loud affair.

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><p><em><strong>A Suivre<strong>_

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><p><em><strong><strong>_**A/N:**_  
><em>So I'm well aware that B is probably OOC, sorry about that (I'm not comfortable writing raps or poetry so...). I see B being a parental figure for Harry, for some reason... Anyways, hope you all enjoyed it. ~ Love, depressedchildren


	13. Chapter 8: Saying Goodbye

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, nor do I gain anything (but writing and editing experience) by using the plot and characters from these works. Naruto and and the Harry Potter series belong to their respective creators, editors, publishers, and companies.

_**Summary:**_ They were all trying to escape, whether it was from fate, war, grief, abuse, hate. They were all trying to escape. There are many Harry Potter spoilers for those who have not read the books, and spoilers for the Naruto series as well.

**A/N: **I'm updating again, because it was just editing for this chapter. Many have asked when Itachi will come in, originally he would have come in already, but that would have been if I was summarizing and did not value character development. I also haven't looked at most of this in probably a year so I forgot when I exactly I put Itachi in and I thought it was sooner than I've written. So...to make up for that, chapters are going to get twice as long since I'll start combining them; which means, there will be much more editing on my part and it will be a while before I update again. Anyways, thank you to all who reviewed, put this on alert or favorite. Enjoy, much love ~ depressedchildren

**Key: **

_text_ is text

_levi corpus_ a known spell, usually a perversion of a Latin phrase

_"Dialogue" _the opposite language of the world they are in

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><p><em><strong>Chapitre Huit<strong>_

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><p>"I don't get it!"<p>

The two guards at the front of the village winced at the volume of the screech, along with three others. Harry recovered first, dropping his shoulders from their raised position and smoothing out his face of all emotion.

"I just have to go Karui-chan," Harry tried for a second only to be jabbed with a very sharp nail in the chest by the hot-tempered redhead. The five-year-old girl had one hand on her hip while the other was repeatedly poking the boy in the chest.

"Why?! What can't you tell me, huh? What?!" the girl even began to circle around the frowning boy, punctuating each word with a jab to the boy's torso.

"Karui-chan!" Two of the four present adults tried to stifle their snickering behind coughs at the slightly elongated phrasing of the name and the higher pitch added to it. Said adults looked at each other and nodded with knowing smiles. That was the closest they most likely ever hear the boy come to whining.

"Go save him," B jerked his head toward at the two children, the girl was continuing her tirade of questions but gave the older boy no opportunity to respond.

"Karui-chan," Jiraiya called the yelling girl's attention, silencing her for the moment – a most blissful moment of silence for the two guards waiting by the village gates. "Nami-kun, as you know, is a ninja and he is on a training mission with me. We need to go onto a new location to further his training. Do you really want to hold Nami-kun back by making him stay here? Would you want Nami-kun to do that to you if you were a ninja?" Jiraiya reasoned in a slow steady voice. His gray eyes bore into the dark girl's golden eyes.

The girl's shoulders dropped while she slowly shook her head in negation. She and Nami-kun had had a long conversation about him being a Konoha-nin. She knew her friend would have to leave but she didn't think it would be so soon! He inspired her to be a ninja too – to be a super cool kunoichi as soon as possible!

"Sorry Nami-kun," Karui brought her hands together in front of her, raising her shoulders up slightly while she looked down at the ground. While she mumbled her apology she scuffed the ground with her sandal and scrunched her nose. "I don't have many friends," she whispered, peering at the slightly shorter child despite her downturned face.

"It's okay, you're my second friend, ever," Harry admitted, mimicking her position except that his hands were clasped behind his back and a small blush dusted his pale cheeks. Kauri's face shot up and her eyes widened while her mouth fell open.

"Really?" there was a breathless quality to her voice, and after Harry nodded his head slightly, she launched herself at the boy. Harry tensed initially at the contact but returned her hug. Jiraiya and B glanced at each other again, smiling slightly.

Jiraiya still feared being tortured, who knew how a psychopath like James would react to his six-year-old having a five-year-old 'girlfriend.' But it was a good experience; he just hoped the kid wouldn't tell his father. He really didn't want his mind attacked again, or be put under that crucio thing. Jiraiya blinked a few times when he saw the little girl kiss his student on the cheek before shyly waving goodbye.

Harry ducked his head in response, waving in return. The girl quickly ran away, leaving B to give his official goodbye to the kid. B crouched down in front of the still blushing boy and clapped his hands on Harry's shoulder.

"See you kid. Come visit sometime, okay?" B's expression was neutral once more, but his eyes looked into the boy's eyes intently. Harry tried to stay on the surface of B's thoughts but he quickly found himself pulled into the jinchūriki's mind.

"You better not have been thinking of leaving without saying bye to me!" Harry jumped slightly at the loud yell Hachibi threw at him. The demon then gestured for the boy to hop onto its nose.

"I'm sorry Hachibi-sama," Harry stated as he jumped onto the bull-octopus. B was already sitting on the demon's nose and quickly pulled the boy onto his lap.

"I'll miss you kid," B mumbled nudging the boy's head playfully with his nose.

"I'll miss you too Jinchūriki-sama, and I'll miss you too Hachibi-sama. You're so much nicer to talk to than Kyūbi. It just says bad words all the time and asks me to release it," Harry scrunched up his nose when he mentioned Kyūbi, he could carry on a conversation with the demon, but it was much more difficult than with Hachibi-sama.

"Why thank you," Hachibi tilted its head slightly, not enough to tip the two sitting on its muzzle, but enough to show his appreciation for the child's words. "Now…" the demon's eyes narrowed as he looked cross-eyed at the boy, "No dying on us, you hear?"

"You still have to beat me in a solo match," B added after his tenant finished speaking. Harry laughed softly, before he nodded his head. His eyes scrunched slightly as he gave the two beings a closed mouth smile.

"I'll do my best," Harry finally answered, letting his mind slip out of theirs. Seconds had passed while they had talked to the bijuu. B squeezed the boy's shoulders once more before standing up and nodding to him. The twenty-year-old then turned to the white haired man watching the two of them. B tipped his head down, one corner of his mouth quirked up. Jiraiya repaid the gesture before ushering his student out of the village, both carrying walking sticks this time.

The snow along the path was thick by this point, and both travelers were prepared for the worst while the little baby strapped to Jiraiya's chest was an indiscernible blob of blankets, leathers, and wool. All three bore a paper seal on their clothes, a seal of Harry's own making. It would ensure the object it was attached to would maintain a heat of at least twenty degrees Celsius, twenty-five degrees if the mountain wind was not too strong.

With ducked heads against the occasional gust of wind which shot up sprays of snow, the two began their decent. The sticks in their hands were used to feel for the mountain's edge as thick clouds enveloped their path. Within half a day they made it out of the clouds, but the path was still covered with snow, nearly up to Harry's waist, most places were only at his knees though.

Jiraiya suggested he use his chakra to keep him atop the snow, so as to make their way easier. The advice worked surprisingly well for an hour until the boy nearly fell off the mountain due to a large gust of wind and snow. It blinded him for moment, during which he as nearly at the edge of the mountain. Jiraiya quickly shot out a hand to drag the boy back toward the inner part of the mountain path.

Within a day of nonstop walking, the two soon found themselves at the base of the mountain, where a few centimeters of snow lay. From there, they made it back to Konoha in good time, bypassing the land of frost but not stopping in the hot spring town as they had the first time around. Jiraiya was on a mission, one that was doing wonders for Harry's endurance and speed. They would start running at sunrise and would stop to set up camp during sunset. Their only breaks occurred when Naruto cried from being jostled too much, needed a changing, or was hungry.

Once they were near home, Jiraiya diverted away from the village and began to travel along a very well hidden path. They moved much slower at this point, due to the discreetness of the path. If they moved along it too quickly, they easily lost sight of it and became lost. Harry continued his work on seals now that they were walking; he even invented a few designs.

After the first week of walking this path, Harry could no longer stay quiet. "Where are we going? Why is it taking so long?" It was the middle of the night and Jiraiya had finally decided to set up camp. They would walk the majority of the day. Sometimes they headed east, other times west, the path made no sense!

"We're going to Mount Myōboku, the place where the elder and sage toads reside. They'll have an answer for why you can't summon any toads," Jiraiya stared at the boy from across the fire. His brow was furrowed slightly, and in the fire light it cast a deep shadow over his forehead.

It was a mystery to him, no matter how many times he put the kid into a life threatening situation; he could not summon a toad. The boy usually ended up popping himself out of it, though one time he appeared with the skin missing from his left forearm. Jiraiya really didn't want to know how that happened, but was thankful that B was there to calm the screaming boy down. The Sannin was positive the boy wasn't using the Hiraishin technique when this happened either, but then what was the boy doing?!

"How long will it take?" Harry asked while yawning, his eyes were burning from the long day and they refused to stay open. It didn't help that the weather was steadily growing colder, thus making the boy feel feverish before the fire.

"Another three weeks, maybe less if we can move faster without losing the path," Harry nodded slowly, his head lolling forward before his eyes fell closed.

Jiraiya chuckled, no matter how intelligent or powerful the brat was, at the end of the day he was just a little kid. It was a relief to see him finally acting that way.

* * *

><p>They reached their destination when Jiraiya said they would. Naruto had grown quite a lot in last three months; he gurgled and giggled more, in addition to the thick, wild, blonde hair that crowned his head. Winter had fully set in as they walked, but with the young baby as swaddled as he was he felt nothing. Harry's seal also helped. Jiraiya could not be prouder of his student, the boy was already inventing his own seals!<p>

Upon entering Mount Myōboku, the travelers were greeted by the thick smell of peat but the crisp scent of winter. There was frost skirting along the deep boggy pools, and frost shimmered off the trees. This would melt away in a few weeks, seeing as the temperature during winter in Konoha averaged three to five degrees Celsius.

Regardless, both children seemed stunned by the large stone statues around them; both of them experiencing the sight for the first time. The waterfall falling, from the plateau they were standing, on shimmered in the sunlight. The mists of the waterfall crystalized in the air before falling to the ground like jewels.

Jiraiya was prepared to wait for the toads to come up from their sleeps in the deep swamps, but was shocked when the ground rumbled and Gambunta appeared. The boss toad had a pipe to his mouth in an attempt to circulate heat into his body. The large amphibian's pupils narrowed at the sight that greeted him. He had felt someone come into their domain despite the freezing temperatures. He was not happy to be woken up when there was frost in the air.

"What's with the brat and tadpole?" the boss summons asked, pipe hanging lazily from his mouth. "And why the hell did you choose winter to visit?" the boss summon growled, arms crossed over his chest while his webbed hands clenched together in frustration.

"The brat is my new student, and the 'tadpole' is Minato-kun's son, so show some respect!" Jiraiya shouted back as he tilted his head back to nod while he looked up at the large toad. One hand was on his hip while the other was pointed at the toad. The effect was lost however by the blob of cloth strapped to his chest.

"Maybe when they can summon me and prove themselves," retorted the large toad as he sat back on his hind legs. His eyes attempted to glare at the white haired man but the effect was lost due to his anatomy.

"What on earth is all this ruckus?" a feminine toad burst forth from the boggy pool, a shawl wrapped around her purple robe. Shivering, she came forward, her eyes narrowing when they took in the sight of raven haired boy.

"Shima-san!" Jiraiya walked forward to greet the Sage Toad when she held up her webbed hand, stopping him in his tracks.

"This boy is strange," she began, her pupils narrowing as she zeroed in on Harry and pointed a ball-tipped finger at the boy. "He seems to have potential for senjutsu but has no way to form a contract with us," her brow furrowed, "I must be sensing incorrectly," the female toad laughed feebly, but a frown was set in her toad features while she wrapped her arms tightly around her. Gods it was freezing!

An elderly male toad appeared beside her, wearing a cloak around his shoulders, and also stared at the boy curiously. However, his eyes shifted to the baby in Jiraiya's arms. "Strange…" male toad turned to the woman and they both nodded.

"What is it Fukasaku-san?" the two toads said nothing to their old pupil's question. Gambunta was also silent, his expression turning uneasy. What had the usually bickering couple so serious and in agreement? What was so unique about this boy? How could he be able to do senjutsu without a contract?

"Come with us," they ordered in unison, now leading the three travelers to the location of the Great Toad Sage. He would surely have answers for them, plus his hut was delightfully warm and muggy this time of year.

* * *

><p>Jiraiya couldn't sit still as he waited for the elder toad to come out of his reverie, perhaps it was the uncomfortable climate of the hut but the man could not take much more this waiting. Harry was also antsy, but that was to be expected of a six-year-old. Of course Naruto was oblivious to the world, happily cooing in Shima's arms. She enjoyed the little human, it made her think of having tadpoles if she wasn't so old. Throwing a look toward her husband, Fukasaku shook his head quickly. While Shima glowered at her husband, the Great Toad Sage spoke.<p>

"He's not from our world," the toad stated simply, gesturing to the raven haired child. "Thus, he has no connection to our contracts," The toads eyes were nearly closed as he gave the boy a wrinkly smile.

"But he does have potential for senjutsu?" Fukasaku questioned, stepping forward slightly. His webbed fingers came together for a moment, tapping each other in his anxiousness.

"Not quite, it seems he has innate ability to draw in natural energies but what happens after doing so, I cannot say. However, Minato-kun and now this little one" the old toad turned his gaze toward the baby in Shima's arms, his ever present smile growing fonder before he continued, "Can also easily draw in the natural energy, but senjutsu seems much more plausible for them."

Jiraiya looked at the baby in Shima's arms, his eyes marginally wider, what was different about them? Minato had always been a curious child, strange things happened around him and his uncle. Both children had inexhaustible energy, and it was almost magical what Minato could do with seals. Not to mention the infamous spinach debacle, no one ever did figure out where it all went... Perhaps it was something in their blood, something Minato and Harry gained from their grandparents that allowed such curious things to happen around them?

"This boy also has a prophecy over his head," the toad murmured suddenly, his squinted gaze grew more so, and his expression took on one of deep concentration "let's see if I understood it correctly… 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies, and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have a power the Dark Lord knows not. And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives. The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies'" the Great Toad Sage paused, "Very confusing and boring, that is."

But the prophecy left a heavy silence upon Harry and Jiraiya. Both of their heads were directed toward the ground as they mulled over what the toad told them. Harry's small fingers clinched his pants until his knuckles turned white. It was the Bad Man, he was sure of it. It was his entire fault the Bad Man killed his mother.

"C-could the Dark Lord be the one in my head?" Harry asked his teacher, his eyes wide yet dark. It made so much sense to him… "I-is he the Bad Man Father always talks about finding us and…" Harry's lip began to tremble as tears welled up in his big green eyes. Saying that out loud confirmed his previous thoughts. The piteous evil soul attached to him must be the Dark Lord; it must be the Bad Man. He was the reason for his mother's death, for everything that had happened to them, him and his father.

"Now, now," Shima passed off the baby to her husband and moved to comfort the child, oh how she loved children! "Everything's going to be fine, there's no bad man here, and you may have already defeated him. Besides, he's senile at times," Shima gestured back to the decrepit looking toad behind her for her last comment, "for all we know, it may be a false prophecy since it isn't one of his own foreshadowings,"

The silence that fell over the room's occupants spoke otherwise. Even Harry knew what the kindly old toad said was too good to be true, and his father had said the bad man was still alive, still looking for them. Harry also had a piece of the man's soul to prove he wasn't gone, yet. That something inside of him was prolonging that vile man's life. Only the uttermost certainty of death could destroy that soul fragment, or at least allow Harry to communicate with the being.

"Hmm…? I wonder what you are?" the Great Toad Sage's comment made all those gathered laugh slightly. It wasn't what he said but how he said it that made the tension leave the room. It was a quite amusing for the toads lips smacked together several times, as if tasting the words as he said them.

"Hey Brat, why don't you show Gambunta your Rasengan?" Jiraiya's voice rang out in the small muggy hut. His face distorted in his attempt to smile, his eyes squinted from the force of the smile. Harry turned around to face his teacher and smiled meekly at the suggestion before he nodded and got up to leave of the eerie room. His shoulders were drawn up to his ears, he felt so small. Jiraiya rose from his seat as well, one hand clamping down on the boy's shoulder that was closest to him. In a way, he was grounding the boy by simply letting his presence be known. It eased the boy immensely, so much that his other shoulder began to lower and his head rose higher.

"Boy!" Harry and Jiraiya paused mid step as the Great Toad Sage called for Harry's attention, "You will not be alone in your fulfilling of this prophecy. A brother will be beside you every step, and a father will support you both through to the end,"

Silence rang after the old toad's words, a weight seemed to lift slightly off of Harry's shoulders, but his chest still felt burdened. He knew the trials would come later in his life and that Jiraiya would not always be with him, thus knowing that there would be someone with him through it all…it was a relief, but he could not bear dragging someone else into this mess. He saw the Bad Man's memories; he knew what horrors that **thing** could bring.

"Thank you, Great Toad Sage," Harry murmured, turning to bow in respect before leaving with less of a spring in his step.

* * *

><p>Naruto seemed very fond of the swampy world they found themselves in. Perhaps it was from Shima's constant coddling, and maybe the toads playing with him as he began to crawl, but the infant would scream if they headed toward the exit. And honestly, Jiraiya didn't want to leave. He was perfecting his sage mode under the watchful eye of Fukasaku and Shima, while Harry worked on his speed, agility, and stealth with the toads, primarily Gambunta's children Gamakichi and Gamatatsu.<p>

Time flew by, the only real gauge they had was Naruto's growing form and the weather changes but it slipped their mind, as if time didn't really exist in this place. They knew a week passed when they looked at Naruto and realized he had grown. Shima had all but kidnaped Naruto from his guardians, thus it shocked Jiraiya and Harry whenever they saw the baby. He was looking more and more like his father with his mother's eyes and baby fat.

It was while they lived in the toad community that the boy finally mastered the rerouting of his chakra. It had taken the seven-year-old (not that they were aware a year had passed) by surprise.

"Gamakichi-nii, got you!" Harry tagged the red little toad before leaping out of the way of the toad's tongue. Harry's impish face was stretched by the smile on his face, and his eyes glimmered with mirth.

"Brat!" the small red toad all but screamed. Harry just smiled mischievously, unknowingly mimicking an expression his father often wore as a child. He had only meant to dodge to the right, but he found himself experiencing the strange sensation of the world slowing down and his body speeding up.

He whipped his head to the side to gap at his after image, Gamakichi's tongue sticking out of the flickering stomach. Harry looked down at his body in surprise; he didn't feel tired, at all! As he looked at his torso he gasped at what he saw. His chakra was moving in the correct pattern for the Hiraishin, without him having to put a conscious effort into it. Gamakichi mirrored the seven-year-old's expression, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. As if on the same brain wave, the two children ran off toward the ring of toad statues.

"Jiraiya-sensei!"

"Old Man!"

Both children tackled said old man, their eyes wide and excited. Jiraiya was abruptly forced out of sage mode by a tap to his head from the rod in Fukasaku's hand. He was about to scold the two boys when they quickly stunned him into silence.

"I can use the Hiraishin!" Harry exclaimed, quickly demonstrating by appearing on Gambunta's head before appearing on top of one of the stone statues, "I'm not even tired!" Harry cheered as he performed the jutsu once more and was back on his teacher's chest.

"Isn't it cool?" Gamakichi asked, looking up at his father who just stared at the human boy with his mouth partially open. Gamakichi jumped on his hind feet a few times, his webbed hands clasping together as he waited for a verbal response from his father.

However, as the silence stretched the two children looked at each other. A set of circular pupils and rectangular pupils flicked between the three adults and other child. Their breathing increased and both boys found themselves swallowing thickly as the two older toads and older human continued to stare at Harry with varying degrees of open mouths. A small yellow toad came bouncing over from his place by his father, having watched what the human boy did with wide, excited eyes.

"I think you broke Daddy and the old ones," the toad stated, his puffed out cheeks becoming more so. He began to jump up and down as he looked between the five other occupants of the clearing. "I really think you did," the toad stated again. Jiraiya's jaw was the most open, his gray eyes were nearly popping out of his head.

"I think you're right Gamatatsu-nii," Harry whispered slowly, his green eyes once more flickering between the three adults. The three children began to slowly back out of the statue area, each one had their wide eyes trained on one of the adults, just in case smoke started to pour out of the grown-up's ears and sparks shot out of their joints.

"What's my name Naruto?" Shima cooed at the baby version of Minato.

"Nii!" the little boy cried, his blue eyes gazing past the elder toad. The little blonde's mouth was wide open, showing off his gummy mouth. The little blonde even stuck his fingers into his mouth while his feet kicked up in the small chair he was strapped to.

"No Naruto, Kaasan" the old toad tried, elongating the word 'Kaasan.' In her attempts to make the one-year-old call her his mother, she became completely unaware that two young toads and a young human standing behind her.

"Obaasan is more likely," chuckled Gamakichi, bringing a webbed hand to covering his mouth. His comment caused his little brother and Harry to snicker with him. Shima turned around with her eyes narrowed as best as her anatomy allowed, but they softened when they landed on Harry.

"What brings you three back before dinner?" If she had eyebrows they would have been raised, but her webbed hands still clasped before her as she looked expectantly at the three children. It was often the case that by the time the boys came back, Naruto would be in bed, allowing the older inhabitants to eat without the chance of food being thrown at them.

"Harry broke Daddy and Old Man Jiraiya and Fukasaku-sama," Gamatatsu rushed out, flailing his yellow arms and jumping up and down on his hind legs for emphasis. Despite his excited tone, his words still caused Harry to bow his head and flush slightly, his shoulders at his ears.

"Now how could that happen?" Shima questioned her voice air and edged with amusement. Her aged eyes twinkled playfully while her toad mouth stretched into an almost indulgent smile. She assumed the boys pulled a prank on the 'men', something the two toads were experts at wrangling Harry in to doing. Harry was much stealthier than the other two, thus was often chosen to perform the prank lest it was a trap prank.

"He can do the Hiraishin" Gamatatsu exclaimed, flailing his yellow arms yet again, nearly whacking his brother in the process.

"Yes he can, but I hardly see how that 'broke' them," there was laughter in the elder toad's voice, which only made Harry bow his head further, his chest felt warm again and his face was flushed.

"But he can do it and not be tired," Gamakichi's statement wiped the mirth off of the old toad's face, and she too appeared broken. Her eyes were wider than normal, while her mouth hung open and her arms fell limply to her sides. It was the exact same reaction as the other adults.

"When do you think they'll be better?" Gamatatsu asked his big brother, his brow furrowed, who just shook his head in reply.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Harry turned an exasperated expression on his teacher, who was flitting around him like a parent who was about to see their first child off to school. Jiraiya's hands would not stay still; they kept clasping and unclasping, even drumming in the air to some unknown yet spastic rhythm. Jiraiya's feet were not any better, they kept walking over each other, cross without the older man's knowing and consequently stumbling him.<p>

Harry put the finishing touches to his wax seal on the swamp floor. The ornate patterns interlocked and created two circles within a greater design. He wasn't sure what the seal would look like on him, but he guessed his lightning scar would become more prominent after this was over. He wanted his mind separate from the other soul living inside of him. He wanted to suppress it from interacting with him; to keep its dreams and thoughts to itself and vice versa.

Harry was ready, they had been preparing his sealing abilities for past year and a half, and this was not nearly as complicated as fixing a jinchūriki seal. Taking a deep breath, Harry ran over the hand signs that would amplify the chakra he put into the seal.

Giving his teacher and the toads around him a nod, Harry began pushing his chakra into the seal, his hands were blur as they mechanically worked through the hand signs. The blue of his chakra was already seeping into the seal after only a few seconds. Closing his eyes he saw the effect better. The blue chakra bleached out into white shimmering light that danced behind his eyelids. The boy was met with resistance as the separating part of the seal began to take effect.

The other soul was no match though, as Harry added five more hand signs that were guaranteed, and proven, to suppress foreign spirits. Those hands seals were more commonly used with weakened demons, but the other soul was just that, a weak demon. As the inner part of the seal was activated, he could hear the other soul screaming and cursing him in some foreign language. The suppression seal took hold, and the soul could no longer psychologically harm Harry. Though the soul was not outside of his body, it would no longer harm him, only death would guarantee a chance to get rid of the soul completely.

The seven-year-old fell to his knees, his arms held his torso up as he panted. He felt so tired! He could feel the thrumming energy around him, and it felt so tempting to just reach out and…

Harry's green eyes fluttered open, the air around him was buzzing with a natural and wild energy. He could see his body dragging it in, replenishing him. Laughing weakly, Harry collapsed forward; the colorful energies around him were dancing and hugging him. Sighing in comfort, Harry drifted off, feeling protected by the energy around him.

* * *

><p>"Do you have to go?" Shima was all but begging, her eyes lingering on the little baby Naruto, who was four months shy of two years old.<p>

"Bye-bye Baasan!" Naruto cheered, he was currently on his 'big brother's' hip, and waving wildly at the old toad woman. His baby teeth were displayed proudly as he gave a slightly gummy smile.

"We've been here too long," Jiraiya deadpanned after Naruto was done shouting. "And I've been meaning to see my old students" the sage toads nodded in understanding, but with heavy hearts waved the three males off.

"I hope they write!" Shima cried into her husband's chest, her webbed hands covering her mouth. She was already missing her little Naruto's company.

"I hope Naruto-kun summons us some day!" cried Gamatatsu, large smile distorting his puffy features, "And that he has lots of snacks!" this received him a thump over the head from his older brother and a whispered, 'idiot'.

"If that blonde bundle of energy summons anyone, it'll be me first," Gambunta grumbled, before splitting his children up before they got into fight and wrecked part of the forest.

* * *

><p>The three had been walking for a week, Harry studying his scrolls while Jiraiya tried to teach Naruto how to speak correctly, and failing.<p>

"Neh, Neh, Ojii, what's that?" Naruto screeched; his words would have been completely unintelligible to a bystander. This was primarily due to the rate at which the toddler spoke and the fact that his tongue could not form certain consonants yet.

"That's a shuriken" Harry cut himself off, as both he and Jiraiya got into defensive positions. The Sannin threw Harry a giggling and wriggling Naruto before ordering him to hide as a barrage of throwing weapons began raining down on them.

Harry used the Hiraishin technique to get out of the range of weapons, while Jiraiya used his hair as a shield, forming a hard cocoon around him.

Rouge-nin entered the clearing their faces falling when the realized they had not hit the two children. They then gasped at the white haired shell and began stumbling backwards.

"Shit, that's a Sannin!"

"Fuck," but the men's curses were cut off with guttural gurgles. Harry just held Naruto close to his chest, keeping him from looking at the clearing below. The almost seven year old had his eyes clenched tightly closed, his whole body trembling. He could see the bright energy of the rouge-nin flicker away as Jiraiya dispatched the wanna-be bandits. He felt sick…

"They're dead, come out," Jiraiya's words were gruff. He shook his head at the fools lying on the ground in their own pools of blood. A hunter-nin would come by soon and clean up the mess, there was bound to be one or two searching for these ruffians. Scowling, Jiraiya moved away from the carnage.

Harry dropped down from the tree branch they had occupied, he held firmly to Naruto while he kept his eyes tightly closed. Jiraiya frowned but he too did not want children so young seeing the sight he had left behind him. Wrapping an arm around his student, the Sannin led them away from the clearing. Thus dashed Naruto's hopes of seeing what had happened, but that only encouraged the blonde to punish his guardians for not letting him see by pulling on their long hair until he was set down to waddle beside them.

* * *

><p>As the name Amegakure suggested, the sky was letting loose buckets of water upon the three travelers' heads. Harry and Naruto marveled at the towering skyscrapers above them, their wide eyes now taking up most of their faces. However, they soon grew tired of having water fall into their eyes.<p>

Jiraiya watched the two children fondly, glad that Harry was finally acting his age. Of course the boy was still afraid of disappointing anyone but the man hoped he would grow out of that someday. They were just exiting the market district with a few bags tucked into Harry's pack, when Jiraiya's gray eyes caught the sight of a paper bird ducking into an alley. Good, now he wouldn't have to search for them.

"Come on, this way," Harry shifted Naruto on his back so he could move faster as he chased after his teacher.

The paper bird lead them through a complicated circuit around the village, one tiring enough that Harry had to pass off Naruto so he could keep up with his teacher. After an indefinite amount of time in the rain, Naruto claiming it was taking forever, they came to a nondescript parchment store.

Knocking with one hand on his knee and panting, Jiraiya waited with baited breath for his student to open the door.

"Jiraiya-sensei," a blue haired woman greeted, opening the door wider, her eyes narrowing at the sight of a young Konoha Genin and a little toddler.

"Konan!" he greeted, dropping the suffix due to his familiarity with the young woman. "I've been meaning to catch up with you three, how are you all? Are Yugato and Nagato still having petty arguments?" despite panting, Jiraiya's mouth was stretched wide, his eyes crinkling due to the broadness of his smile.

The woman remained stone faced, refusing to reply to her old teacher's questions. Instead, she lead them to the back of the store and through a secret passage way.

What they saw on the other end caused Harry and Jiraiya to gasp while Naruto just giggled, "Neh, Nii, what's that?" Naruto began to wriggle in Jiraiya's arms. Unfortunately, the sannin was too shocked by the sight before him to keep a firm hold on the boy. Naruto screamed as he started to fall, and if not for Harry's absentminded reflexes, the boy would have landed on his head.

Nagato and Konan just stared at the curious blonde boy, having not understood a single thing the young child had said. Though if his chubby pointing finger was anything to go off of, then they assumed he was commenting on the chakra rods coming out of Nagato's back.

"Nagato" Jiraiya was going to add a suffix but his voice caught in his throat, his hands were trembling while his mouth fell open. "What happened?" the old man fell to his knees in horror, cursing himself for leaving those young children so soon.

"Danzo and Hanzo happened," the emaciated man with black rods sticking out of his back stated in a cold tone.

"Brat, take Naruto and wait outside," Jiraiya's voice was hard, he could see the loss clearly on his former students' faces.

"Why? Father's been trying to find dirt on him for ages so Hokage-sama can kick him off the council," Konan and Nagato turned their sharp gazes to the young boy holding a squirming and confused Naruto. The narrowed green eyes and firm line of the boy's lips confirmed that he was serious, thus giving the two rogue-nin something to think about.

"I doubt the words of rogue-nin will be much valued," Konan whispered bitterly, her eyes dark while her face distorted from a scowl.

"But it can cause some ninja to turn against him," Jiraiya offered, his gray eyes were like steel while a frown marred his usually cheerful face. "Brat, you and Naruto get out, now," the man nearly growled, one hand was fisted in his gray pants while he continued to look at his old students. In a way, he was punishing himself for leaving them too soon by taking in the damage dealt to Nagato's body.

Harry stayed stubbornly in his place, his jaw moving around as he thought through the various consequences such disobedience would have. While he was thinking, Naruto began to wail and carry on, pleading in his inarticulate way to stay. Blue eyes glimmered with tears as his pudgy hands feebly hit the pale arms wrapped around him.

"Fine, but Danzo needs to pay," Harry threw over his shoulder as he moved toward the paper store, "for trying to take Naruto away," Jiraiya winced as the boy left their presence. Of course the kid would have heard about the council's various plans. One plan was to kill Naruto and place the Kyūbi in an older host – unsurprisingly, that was Danzo's plan and the vessel he had in mind was one of his brainwashed ROOT kids. However, when that idea was rejected, the man decided he would just make Naruto into one of his 'brainwashed kids'.

The two former students looked at their teacher, eyes flashing like metal for a moment before beginning to speak.

* * *

><p>After a good fifteen minutes of Naruto screaming his head off, the boy was finally calm and pouting at the other end of the counter Harry was currently sitting against. Harry tried to cheer the little blonde up with a slight of hand trick, but the boy obstinately continued to sulk. In the end, the two children just leaned against the store's counter and waited and waited. Naruto finally fell asleep, using Harry as his pillow; having finally forgiven the raven haired boy.<p>

That was ten minutes ago, but now the store bell rang and woke Naruto up. Harry shot to his feet, bringing Naruto to his hip. "The owner is in the back, I'll go get…" Harry's words died on his tongue when he saw the customer. His expression remained neutral while the little blonde's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. Before the blonde could speak loudly to the newcomer, Harry brought his finger to the baby's lips and shook his head.

"Konoha Genin Namikaze, yes?" Harry nodded slowly, swallowing thickly, but otherwise giving nothing away, "with the demon child, perfect," the person drawled. Harry's body tensed as the masked man started for them.

Harry knew the man was from Konoha due to the ANBU tattoo on his upper arm. Each village had a unique tattoo for their ANBU but what the sign was not known between countries. Thankfully, due to Harry's father he could recognize the Konoha symbol. If it were any other country he would not have recognized it, and would have been more on guard.

"Ah!" the ANBU was shaking his head and wagging his finger when he noticed the boy tense up to move, "You run, and I'm to assume you defected," Harry's mouth fell open, his shoulders slackened. Naruto had his head tilted to one side and his face was scrunched up, what was the masked person saying? What was 'defected?' seemed to be the questions go around inside the almost two-year-old's mind.

"W-why would you say that?" The ANBU chuckled darkly at Harry's stammer and stepped closer to the boy. He then began pacing in front of Harry, stalking him like wolf before a rabbit.

"Nii, I'm scared" Naruto whined pitifully, unable to pronounce the final consonants; his expression fell into a frown while his pudgy hands clung tightly to the fabric of Harry's shirt. The blonde's trembling words only made the ANBU laugh harder.

"The Council sent out a summons six months ago for your orderly return, they sent it to every country, friend and foe," Harry couldn't respond, he knew they spent a long time at Mount Myōboku, but six months? No, that had to make sense, Naruto was a rather big and well-functioning baby by this point. But it did not feel like months past, time seemed to hold no meaning in Mount Myōboku.

"The last village you stayed in was Kumogakure, correct?" Harry nodded quickly, unknowingly making the ANBU smirk wider under his mask "that was eighteen months ago. Care to explain where you've been, defector?" the ANBU practically spat out the word. And Harry knew the man was telling the truth, it reflected in his memories of his mission debriefing from a reluctant Hokage with the elder most Council members standing behind him.

"I wasn't defecting, I-I," Harry had never felt so small or so lost, he could feel the man's sneer behind his feline mask — gods Harry did not like cats! "Jiraiya-sensei took me to Mount Myōboku for training, we've been there the whole time," Harry's voice grew smaller and smaller as the ANBU drew closer to him, clearly not buying what the kid was saying. Harry brought the shaking blonde closer to him, wrapping his arms around the blonde like a shield.

"Well, now you and the demon spawn have a lot of explaining to do. I wonder how merciful the Council will be to a demon sympathizer," Naruto seemed to understand that something bad was happening and started to cry into his 'big brother's' shoulder. Harry wrapped his arms more securely around the little boy, narrowing his gaze at the bastard in front of him.

"He's not a demon and I'm telling the truth," he ground out, his usually impish face was distorted with a scowl. Letting out a long breath and composing himself once more; Harry spoke again, but in a softer voice, "I'll come with you."

The seven almost eight-year-old, narrowed his gaze once more at the ANBU in front of him, "you can put your kunai away!" he added when he saw the man reach behind him. "J-Just let me leave a message for Jiraiya-sensei?" he asked weakly, his eyes looked down at the ground while he held to Naruto like a lifeline. His shoulders had fallen and a lump was forming in his throat.

"Be quick, and let me read over it,"

"I planned for you to sign it," Harry stated as calmly as he could while he was allowed to grab some parchment and a writing utensil. No sooner had the ANBU signed the missive, authenticating it, did he grab Harry roughly by the arm and force him out of the building.

* * *

><p><em>Jiraiya-sensei,<em>

_While we were training at Mount My__ō__boku, the Council ordered for my return to Konoha with Naruto. We were there for well over a year and since no one has heard from us, they assumed I defected and kidnaped Naruto. An ANBU operative has come for us and we are willingly leaving with him. It seems the Council will hold a trial to determine if I was a traitor or not. The ANBU operative bringing us to Konoha will sign below._

_Your brat of a student, Namikaze_

_Konoha ANBU Neko._

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Suivre<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>AN:  
><strong> Again, I'm sorry it's taking so long to get Itachi into this, but I swear he is a main character but unlike Harry his childhood isn't drastically altered, only Harry's is. I'll make up for this lack of Itachi by writing a chapter dedicated to him. But I'll start combining chapters, so if it seems like a weird flow, that's why. Hope you enjoyed, love ~ depressedchildren


	14. Chapter 9: Council and Test

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, nor do I gain anything (but writing and editing experience) by using the plot and characters from these works. Naruto and and the Harry Potter series belong to their respective creators, editors, publishers, and companies.

_**Summary:**_ They were all trying to escape, whether it was from fate, war, grief, abuse, hate. They were all trying to escape. There are many Harry Potter spoilers for those who have not read the books, and spoilers for the Naruto series as well. **Warnings: **violence, cross-dressing, swearing, silliness.

**A/N: **I'm updating again, yep. Don't expect any updates for awhile, I have to make the chapters fit my writing style better -they're pretty rough. Also, I need to work on Gaining Closure... Anyways, thank you to all who reviewed, put this on alert or favorite. Enjoy, much love ~ depressedchildren

**Key: **

_text_ is text

_levi corpus_ a known spell, usually a perversion of a Latin phrase

_"Dialogue" _the opposite language of the world they are in

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><p><em><strong>Chapitre Neuf<strong>_

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><p>Harry kept his head down as he was lead through the dead silent village. It was well past the witching hour, for the ANBU escorting them purposely waited to enter the village at that time. Naruto was curled against his chest, head tucked under Harry's chin, and he was shivering with fear. They had not been treated well during the journey, the bastard had the nerve to try and poison Naruto. If it wasn't for Harry's training as a child (younger child) the almost two-year-old would be dead.<p>

Naruto's stomach was growling loudly, as was Harry's, hell they could have gone for flies and the muck Shima used to make until Jiraiya reminded her they were human.

Whenever Harry would falter in his step due to hunger or fatigue, there would be a kunai thrown at him, and if he ran too slowly the same would happen.

What was Harry supposed to do or say? He couldn't speak to Naruto without having a lethal weapon directed at the toddler. All he could do was rub Naruto's back soothingly, and hum softly into his hair.

They traveled along the rooftops as they moved toward the Hokage Mountain. Was he being brought before the Council so soon? He highly doubted those old coots would be too favorable towards him at such a late hour. However, a new fear woke within Harry at the sight of three ANBU standing in the night shadow the mountain cast.

One of the ANBU walked towards them, he wore a frog mask, and before Harry could comprehend what was going on, he had Naruto.

"Nii! Nii!" Naruto cried as he struggled fiercely in the ANBU's hold, only to make the man hold him tighter.

"Let him go! You're hurting him," as the raven haired boy stepped forward but was stopped when two ANBU operatives had him by the arms. He panicked, the frog ANBU was hurting Naruto. In Harry's panic he struggled against the ANBU holding him. His pack came loose and fell onto the rooftop. The world went black as the ANBU operative escorting Harry struck him at the back of his neck, thus ceasing further struggle from the wide-eyed boy.

…

Harry woke to a blood stained room — figures. They were going to torture him before they sent him before the Council. Harry closed his heavy green eyes and looked down at the floor, which was also swathed in dried blood. His father probably did that…Harry shook those thoughts away, his father was his, well, **father**, he shouldn't think like that. But still, the little voice at the back of his mind continued to feed him those vicious thoughts.

The door opened but Harry didn't bother to look up, it wasn't his father but it was a man. Deductive reasoning stated it was most likely Ibiki, since there were only two ninja in the T & I department that were licensed to torture defectors.

"I wasn't defecting," Harry whispered but he refused to look up from the floor. He was so worried about what they did to Naruto, "we lost track of time while training,"

"So much you let over a year slip by?" a deep voice growled.

Sighing softly, Harry looked up at his interrogator; Morino Ibiki, scars distorted his masculine features. "Shima-sama was the only one that left Mount Myōboku and she only left to get groceries. Jiraiya-sensei spent entire days working on his senjutsu and must have forgotten to write back to the village. I was busy training with Gambunta-sama's children" Ibiki interrupted him by moving to loom over the child. Ibiki's expression was blank, his mouth was drawn into a grim line. Harry took a steady breath while he remained completely still under the penetrating gaze.

"Then summon one of the toads and let me talk to it," Harry's face flushed red with embarrassment, but he forced himself to keep looking at the man rather than bow his head.

"I can't, I" Harry bit his lip while controlling his facial muscles to keep from furrowing his brow. How was he to explain his lack of contract without divulging too much information? "That's why we went there, Jiraiya-sensei wanted to know why I couldn't summon anything."

"Isn't that convenient," sneered the interrogator, his scarred lip pulled back on one side, consequently exposing a canine. Ibiki's comment caused Harry to bow his head while his face began to burn along with his chest. Shame; that was what B explained this emotion to Harry as. "So did you discover why you can't summon anything? Hmm?" Harry nodded shakily, he felt so small, so useless, "Well?"

"Because I don't have—" Harry was interrupted yet again, but dread filled him. His eyes widened slightly yet darkened while his breath caught in his throat.

"That will be enough Ibiki-san, I'll take over," the voice reverberated throughout the room, and despite the electronic scratch to it, the voice was just as cold as Harry's surroundings.

Harry looked up at Ibiki as the man began for the doors. In the interrogator's mind he could see the man being coerced into interrogating him, Ibiki had been defending Harry until he was forced into the room. Harry could see that Ibiki did believe him, but also that the man pitied him. Harry didn't want that, he didn't want pity.

Harry did his best to keep from trembling as the interrogator left the room and an ANBU operative entered. The ANBU operative's very presence chilled Harry. The man walked in a precise manner, as if knowing exactly how much energy to put in each muscle, yet he was also prepared to lash out at an opponent or avoid an attack. In a way, he was like a jungle cat, hiding its true power as it prowled in the dark places of the forest.

"Why didn't you write back to the village?"

"I didn't know that was a stipulation and we lost track of time," Harry replied as evenly as he could. He refused to look up at the man now standing in front of him, even going so far as to clench his eyes closed. The boy's heart was beating frantically in his chest, while every muscle in his body was tensed for an attack. The only identification of his inner turmoil was his clenched muscles, otherwise his face was a smooth emotionless mask.

Harry's heart skipped a beat when he felt a familiar presence pushing against his mind. His body jerked minutely, he did not want his mind tested so soon. Without much thought the boy opened his mouth to give a distraction.

"You knew I wouldn't be able to form a contract, didn't you?" Harry's chest was heaving, and his body was trembling, but at least the presence withdrew itself. The silence that followed his question was answer enough, but what else did that mean? "And the Bad Man, you knew he was in my head too!" the child accused, jerking his head up to glare at the now tense ANBU operative. He would have stood up if it wasn't for the chains connecting him to the chair.

"What do you mean?" the ANBU operative's words and tone took Harry aback. The usual dead tone held a hint of urgency and there was a stiffness to his voice. Harry's glare turned into a calculating stare as he peered at the eyeholes in the deer mask, he could read his father's genuine confusion in the dark eyes shining there.

"A part of his soul is trapped in me," Harry whispered. His shoulders slumped as he lowered his head. The boy's hair must have fallen out of its tie for the raven locks now fell like a curtain around his face. His hair had grown the past year since they didn't bother with cutting it.

"What am I?" Harry barely breathed the question. His hands were clenched at the arm rests they were respectively strapped to. If the slight tensing in his father's arm was anything to go by, then his father did know what he was. Either he was too afraid to tell Harry, or he didn't want his son to know what this made him. Perhaps it was both, either way his father would not be explaining what the fragment of a soul was or what it made him.

"A suspect defector," James stated after beat and with a touch of disappointment in his dead voice. Harry's green eyes narrowed at his father's distraction tactic. Now Harry was damn sure his father didn't believe that, and he didn't need to see into his mind to know it.

"We never knew I was to come home until an ANBU operative showed up to arrest or kill me," Harry slowly looked up as he spoke, but his father was trying to enter his mind. Begrudgingly the boy let his father into his mind and brought him straight to the mindscape, wherein more flowers and foliage were dispersed amongst the grassy clearing than James remembered the copse having prior to the training mission.

Harry stood in the center of the clearing with his arms crossed over his chest, above them played the year and so many months they stayed in the toad village. However, Harry kept the meeting with the Great Toad Sage short, leaving out the prophecy talk and him not being from this world. Something told Harry - perhaps it was just instinct - that should his father become aware of what Harry knew of his origins, the boy would likely forget everything from his stay with the toads. Not that it was possible to wipe a whole year of someone's life from their mind, right?

His father tried to follow the line of the proffered memory, but he was quickly denied access. As his father continued to push against his mind for more information, Harry narrowed his eyes and let his father through, directing him to another memory and trapping him in it.

_ "No! No! Take me, kill me, not my son!"_ the moment his father heard that voice he began force himself away from the memory path he had strayed down, but Harry wouldn't let him leave. The "tunnel" down which James had gone was now shut behind him. If James wanted to see the boy's memories of his training expedition, then so be it.

He could feel his father clawing at the exit of the memory in a desperate attempt to leave when he heard the Bad Man begin talking.

"Damn it Boy, let me out!" Harry kept his eyes closed tightly; his fists were clenched at his sides. He could feel his father try to withdraw from Harry's mind entirely, but the boy would not let that happen. Concentrating to the point his breath became labored, Harry contained his father within that one memory.

"You wanted to see my memories, so here they are. This one haunted me the majority of the last two years," Harry's voice came out surprisingly strong, even as he felt his father pound violently against the memory's wall.

His father screamed in outrage as that strange jutsu was muttered by the Bad Man, but he was silent when the evil man muttered it again. With the memory over, Harry opened the pathway up again. His eyes were dark and trembling as they awaited his father's return to his mindscape.

James was dragging his feet as he left the memory pathway. He was pale and his body shook from minute tremors. His wide, haunted eyes transformed into a glare as his son came into sight. James slowly straightened as he walked over to Harry, and once within range, he backhanded him. In comparison to the other assaults the boy had experienced, this was nothing.

James left his son's mind and struck him again, this hurting even less than mental slap. But it didn't stop at one slap, or two, or three. Before Harry could understand what was happening, he was being full out punched. One, two , three, by the fourth punch there was a sickening crunch as one of his father's fists broke Harry's nose. The next punch split Harry's lip fully, but the assault continued for a sixth, seventh, eighth punch.

James struck the boy with enough force to unbolt the chair from the floor, thus sending him crashing onto his side and smacking his head hard against the floor. Harry's unbound hair flared about him, and those that spilled onto his face were quickly soaked with blood. As Harry spat out the blood in his mouth, along with a few already loose baby-teeth, his father loomed over him. Harry could feel that James was restraining himself, forcing himself to not kick the boy in his anger - if the tensing of his father's right leg and the fact that the majority of his weight was on his left leg was any indication.

"I can make you a vegetable," James hissed as he knelt beside Harry and began pulling his son off the ground by the front of his shirt. His words were trembling with anger and his hidden brown eyes burned as they glared at the boy, "with a few well aimed attacks to you mind," Harry could feel the venom in his father's stare, he could feel his father's chakra lick at him violently, which caused the boy to wince. "So I would never, **never**, pull that trick on me again," his father's shouted word rang in Harry's throbbing head, "Am I clear, Son?" Harry could only lull his head forward slightly, even as his father's angry chakra continued to graze him with its burning energy.

His head was dropped unceremoniously onto the ground as his father got up and spun away on his heels, "You've grown soft and if the Council has pity on you, you will be joining ANBU," Harry felt as if ice was sliding down his back as his father left the interrogation room; left him alone on the cold and bloodied floor.

…

Harry, like his cousin, father and the Sandaime, never liked the Council. His dislike of them grew as he kneeled before them with two ANBU holding kunai to his neck and another two holding him in place with chains. He was held so that he made a "t" with his body while he was forced on his knees in respect and subservience toward the Council.

"Morino-san and ANBU operative Shika have both interrogated you and have found you to be telling the truth, yet you have no evidence to support your, or their, claims," that old bitch, the one that wanted Naruto drowned, crowed.

"Is Jiraiya-sensei here?" the boy asked softly, but speaking out of turn was met with a knick to his neck. At least the boy did not have to worry about controlling his facial expressions, his whole face was too swollen to scowl or glare. It still throbbed from the beating he took the night before, or more accurately, that early morning.

"Yes, Namikaze-kun" that was old man Sarutobi, and it took every ounce of Harry's self-control to keep from smiling, but then again, it was not like he could with his face as swollen and bruised as it was.

"His opinions will be biased, for all we know you were hiding your intentions from him," that was the old bastard, the one who wanted Naruto burned at a stake, Homura.

"But what of his summons?" Harry asked, despite the increase of pressure on his neck.

"Ah yes, let's hear what Jiraiya-san's summons say," Harry focused on the stinging from his cut to keep from smiling, lest anyone could discern the expression. It would not due in his situation to show relief or happiness over the Hokage defending him, not to mention it hurt just to blink.

"Yes, let Jiraiya-san bring his summons to the stands," to most of the Council's shock, that was Danzo, someone they had all assumed would be opposed to the child being set free. Then again, he did have a "special" affinity for children.

Jiraiya stepped forward slightly from the crowd of Special Jounin and ANBU operatives witnessing the trial. Biting his thumb the man had barely touched his seal when three puffs of smoke emerged from thin air.

"Shame on you, putting a little boy on stage like this!" Shima admonished the council, as she moved over to her honorary grandson and wrapped her arms around the child protectively, despite the tightening on kunai and chains alike. She began to fuss over the bruises littering Harry's face, she even began to spread a mud based poultice she had with her onto the hurts, before cursing every guard and Council member for the boy's state.

"Dear," Fukasaku came forward slightly, his tone was warning while he tried to make his wife back off from the seven-year-old.

"You three should have never left!" Shima wailed now that she was finished spreading the poultice and proceeded to hold Harry to her tighter than the two ANBU with the chains were holding him.

"Love," Fukasaku started again only to be silenced by the third toad in the room — the one Sarutobi and Jiraiya were staring at in complete shock.

"Fukasaku, you should know your wife will not let that boy go until she's gone over his injuries and fed him twice his weight in flies." If Harry could have, he would have scrunched his nose up but being broken that was impossible; however, then he realized who spoke.

Shima and Fukasaku turned around slowly to see none other but the Great Toad Sage smiling at them and the Council. "I see this boy becoming a very strong Konoha ANBU operative; one of your best," the very old toad smiled broader as he waited for the Council to come out of their shock.

"Why should we care what a senile toad says?" of course it was that old bitch who spoke, which caused the elder toads to shake their heads and narrow their large eyes.

"He is the oldest and wisest of our kind," Fukasaku began with pride saturating his words while his large eyes seemed to reflect the dim light in the room.

"He has also made many prophecies," Shima added, her head was in the air slightly, "So I would not be so quick to discredit what he says," Fukasaku managed to keep his face neutral at his wife's words, seeing as she often discredited the old toad's prophecies.

"I never knew you felt that way, Shima-san, I'll have to tell you more of my prophecies," Shima's superior expression stayed in place, though on the inside she was dreading the return home.

"So Namikaze-kun has been with you all at Mount Myōboku for nearly two years?"

"Oh my, had all that time really passed?" Shima looked genuinely surprised at the council member who spoke.

"Yes, yes," the Great Toad Sage answered, "We rarely have such young sprits in our woods, and it was so nice that we never wanted them to leave,"

Well the old bitch and bastard had nothing more to say, and Danzo seemed shocked himself.

"I'd like to get back to my chair now, I only tagged a long because you two would have gotten him killed from fretting over the boy," the Great Toad Sage began to hobble away before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Shima hugged Harry one more time before she and her husband also dispersed. The Council remained silent for a little while longer.

"Well then," it was the Sandaime's cheerful voice that broke the thick, bewildered silence. His eyes seemed to sparkle as he looked at the still stunned Council, "We have him take the ANBU test then,"

"If he fails we execute him," Danzo added slowly, his mind finally comprehended what had just happened, "so there will be no repeat absences, and he will be on a probationary period if he succeeds."

It may seem counter intuitive to put a suspected defector into such a place of power within the village and with so much access, but Harry would be surrounded by high class shinobi to keep in him in line. In addition, he would be risking his life with every mission he took and it would be for the village. He would be on a team, for seldom did ANBU operatives work solo unless their skill set did not match other operatives and an already working team could not be broken up.

In a way, it was a punishment. ANBU was comprised of the most faithful ninja to their country. Their life for Konoha; is the unofficial motto. If he was suspected again of defecting, he would be killed instantaneously by his fellow operatives, and what better way to keep an eye on a possible traitor than to keep him close. Also, ANBU was the most difficult division to get into, one needed the skill and the Hokage's approval. Harry already had the approval but he was seven, a child who would likely not have the skills needed. The boy doubted even his father wanted him in ANBU, not matter how concerned with power he was.

Harry felt a chill run down his spine, but it had nothing to do with what Danzo said, and everything to do with a very tense ANBU operative at the back of the auditorium. Harry could feel the hate and killing intent wafting off the operative at the back, and all of it was directed right at the smirking, treasonous Councilman.

When the chains were let go and the kunai were retracted, Harry whipped his head around to see a blur of raven tresses and a porcelain deer mask leaving the back of the auditorium. Harry knew ninja weren't supposed to cry, but Harry's eyes were stinging anyways and a small smile made its way onto his swollen face. His father still cared about him, even if their last interaction said otherwise.

…

"Nii!" Harry sighed in relief at that very happy and healthy call. He had just been escorted outside and could see a waving blond on the shoulders of a very familiar Jōnin. Sighing in relief, Harry jogged over to his old friend.

"Yo," the silver haired teen waved lazily at the younger ninja, however his visible gray eye seemed to darken in the midday light, and narrow marginally.

"Yo," Harry smiled softly in return before he hugged his friend openly. Underneath his mask, Kakashi flushed at the sudden public contact and Naruto giggled on his shoulders. Namikaze-kun would never have acted that way before the training expedition, what exactly happened to make him so open with his affections. Though, Kakashi could not deny that he was happy.

"Kaka-nii, right?" Naruto asked loudly with his quick and inarticulate tongue. Harry had talked about his friend with the little blonde often. After all, he was Naruto's legal guardian. The boy pointed to a random ANBU on patrol, "take Kaka" Naruto explained, causing Harry to sigh in relief yet again. He assumed what Naruto was trying to articulate was that he was brought by the ANBU operatives before to Kakashi.

"I was afraid they were going to put him in an orphanage," Harry whispered into his friend's flak jacket.

"They were going to until the Hokage and I gave them hell, along with Gai," Harry's eyes grew wide in understanding. Gai was probably the tipping point, though how he brought himself into that mess, Harry would never know nor wanted to know, "but that was when they posted a warrant for your arrest, should you have shown up on the map again," Kakashi added solemnly.

"Sorry we never wrote. It didn't feel like any time passed, though looking at Naruto that sounds pretty silly," Harry laughed weakly, now that he had pulled away from their embrace.

"Nii, face?" Naruto was leaning over Kakashi's mop of silver hair to glare down at Harry's bruised and muddy face.

"I made one of the interrogators mad, and Shima-sama tried to fix it," Harry replied to the question. Kakashi's visible eye narrowed, yet it still seemed to chide Harry for his dismissive manner.

"You mean you made your father mad," Harry winced slightly at his friend's harsh tone, but before he could speak he felt a familiar presence behind him.

"Are you implying something Hatake-san?" Kakashi's narrowed eye switched to the glasses wearing "Jōnin," but he kept his tongue in check.

"We should go and move you in," Kakashi was talking to Harry despite that his glaring eye was still directed at James.

"Son," James called as the boy began to move to put his friend's suggestion into action. Harry turned around half way, for he wondered what his father wanted, "You should consider training, the proctors will make your test as difficult as possible to ensure a defector," he held up his hand as a way of showing he did not share that opinion, and to stop their immediate rebuttals, "does not join their ranks again," the two younger ninja looked at each other briefly, while Naruto became silent at the scary man's words.

"Aren't you the head of the department?" Kakashi's face distorted into a scowl – not that anyone could see it.

"I am the head of the T & I forces, as well as a captain; therefor I have no sway over the tests. The best I can offer is that they let you take a test for the interrogation division," though he was answering Kakashi's question, James did not take his attention away from his son. "One of the proctors told me what would be the general test, and I can help you train for that," Harry looked over at his friend and honorary little brother.

"Son, I don't think…I can take losing you," the minute waver in his father's voice spoke volumes for Harry, and he nodded determinedly, though his smarting face reminded him to be careful.

"I'll move in after the test, just in case," Kakashi and James winced at that while Naruto just tilted his head to the side.

"Wha?" the twenty-one-month-old asked.

"Hopefully nothing, Naruto-kun," Harry stood up on his tiptoes to grab the toddler's foot and shake it fondly.

"Hai Nii!"

James placed his hand on his son's shoulder as a way to say it was time to go, and with a small smile he did so.

…

"How are your tracking skills," Harry nodded slightly to show they were decent, "Chakra sensing," a more confident nod, "speed?" another slight nod, "genjutsu?" the minute twitch below Harry's eye was enough of an answer for his father, "stealth?" another confident nod, "traps?" another certain nod, "throwing," James received a smirk, "knives?" another smirk, "psychological resistance?" at Harry's lack of reaction, James sighed.

"How often did you see the memory of your mother…?" James's fist was clenched slightly; he still could not say she was dead without pause.

"I saw it three times one day and at least once a month I'd be woken up by it," James nodded, and exhaled slowly as he thought how best to prepare his son for a life of killing.

"Did he show you anything else?" Harry had successfully blocked out the other memories he saw, but now they came to him full force. The father had not anticipated such a violent reaction from his son. Harry actually ducked away from him with his hands covering his head and his bruised eyes clenched tightly closed. The boy was shaking and pale. James deduced that his was subjected to memories from Voldemort's raids. That was a good way to ease him in then.

"Humans do many awful things: they hurt each other, they kill each other, they fight over each other, they steal from each other. We're a greedy race and we're hard to satisfy. Some of the people you go after have done terrible, terrible things. And if given the chance, they will do the same to you. You will also not be the only child fighting, you may have to kill other children," Harry tensed at his father's words, "You've heard the rumors about ROOT, yes?" Harry nodded shakily, still recovering from the barrage of painful memories, "there are other organizations that take in young children and turn them into weapons."

Harry just bowed his head, the words were sinking in and floating around inside his mind. James seemed satisfied for the moment, clearly his message was understood.

"Come, we need to test your skills,"

…

The following week was filled with tracking down his father throughout the village, as well as breaking into his own house without detection. In the middle of the night his father would try to attack him, thus leading to a spar where Harry was soundly beaten. However, his father then ordered him to take out all of his clones in the woods behind their house. That was when Harry succeeded. He would dispatch each clone with almost a bored ease. But the only hard part of the whole week was his father's insistence on him not revealing his emotions.

Every time Harry smiled or flinched, his mind was invaded and he would receive a shallow cut. If he cried out in shock from the mental pain, he would be cut again and so on. If a clone injured him or his father got him with his sword, and Harry voiced or expressed his pain in any manner, his father made another shallow cut on his mental image. But he seemed proud of Harry's capacities, even confident, if that light in his eyes was anything to go by.

He gave Harry a day off to recuperate before the test, and for that, Harry was grateful. At least he could have one final day with Kakashi and Naruto.

…

"Nii!" was shouted as soon as Kakashi opened the door. Not a moment later did Harry have a little blonde wrapped around his legs. The muscles in Harry's face began to twitch upwards in a smile but he quickly schooled his expression.

"Hello Naruto-kun," Harry whispered when the boy let go of him.

"One week with him and you sound as emotive as a corpse," Harry's eyes fluttered for a moment, as he tried to keep from wincing at his friend's words.

"Kakashi-san," the Jōnin's visible eye softened and he wrapped an arm around the smaller ninja.

"Ichi-ru's!" Naruto shrieked from between them. Harry turned to face his friend, his eyebrows were furrowed; there went all of his hard work on not showing emotion.

"I can't cook well," Kakashi stated slowly as he made a sheepish eye smile. "So we went out a lot and he fell in love with Ichikaru's ramen stand,"

"Naruto, how many times have you two eaten at Ichikaru's this week?" out of the corner of his eye, Harry watched his friend tense.

"Lots!" the toddler exclaimed, the tension in Kakashi's body left in one relieved exhale.

"Why don't we count it on our fingers? Each time you ate there we raise one finger," Naruto's face scrunched up in concentration before he nodded.

"Thursday did you go?" Naruto shook his head, "Friday?" Naruto nodded his head. "Did you go for breakfast, lunch, dinner?" Naruto only shook his head in affirmation for dinner. This process repeated itself though the whole week, but it was when Naruto started nodding for each meal that Harry cast his friend a deadpan look.

"Fifteen? That's more than half your meals spent there," Kakashi was laughing weakly while Naruto began bouncing up and down in excitement for Ichikaru's ramen. "Where's your kitchen," thankfully Naruto didn't realize what was happening until he was sat down at the table in Kakashi's apartment with food in front of him.

"No Ichi-ru's!?" he lamented.

"Too much of one thing is bad for you," Naruto looked at Harry with a betrayed expression adorning his face before he shifted his focus to his other "brother". Kakashi nodded to Harry's statement, thus causing Naruto to bawl.

"He's going to be just like Uzumaki-san," Kakashi sighed and dropped his head into one hand as the little boy exhausted himself and finally ate what Harry had cooked.

"Hey, where did you learn to cook?"

Harry pecked at his food as the thought of how to answer that question, "Jiraiya-sensei started but then he asked me to help Shima-sama make human food, so I guess from her?" Kakashi nodded slowly, assuming that Shima was a toad they lived with.

"You learned from a toad?" Kakashi eyed his food more suspiciously which caused Harry to give a slight smile though he normally would have laughed.

"More!" Kakashi's attention jerked away from his food to the nearly-two-year-old's clean plate. Harry openly smiled as he scooped more food onto the little blonde's plate and watched as Kakashi quickly took a bite. Soon his plate was clean too.

Even if the day ruined all of his hard work on becoming stoic, it was wonderful to be with two of his most precious people.

…

Harry was, by far, the smallest candidate. On most of the other ANBU hopefuls, he came to their waists. He also had the longest hair, something the boy was not at all worried about, though his father tried cutting it off several times while he slept and again this morning. Apparently he was afraid it would be used against him, but who had the time to cut their hair? Jiraiya never seemed to be concerned with someone using his long hair against him, besides, it made Harry's hair tame for a change and it rarely got in his eyes like it did when it was short.

Several of the candidates had called him a girl; perhaps that was why his father tried to cut his hair? It wasn't _that_ long and he wore it in a low ponytail, which was hardly feminine. The proctor was motioning them to take their seats for the writing portion, which was the main reason why Harry kept dwelling on his hair. He really didn't want to take this test!

Unlike everyone else there, it was life or death for him, and despite the Great Toad Sage's words, he was worried. They were each in their own cubical; it was not a test they were meant to cheat on. Harry just hoped he knew the answers.

…

Harry left his cubical with his finished written test; he double checked his answers three times before leaving the small space. The proctor rushed forward and took the test documents from the boy and told him to sit by the window as they waited for the rest of the candidates to finish.

Laughter was bubbling up inside of Harry, why the hell had been so worried? He was the first one done, and he could have answered half those questions when he was five. Perhaps his father's training was effective? Harry knew how to kill people like he knew the back of his hand, granted he had never actually **killed** anyone…and he doubted he ever could. Most of the questions tested the candidates strategic planning in the format of an assassination.

The rest of the test was filled with essays on seal theory and jutsu theory, as well as hypothetical situations and a few complex projectile math problems. In addition, there were questions on the history of other nations and Konoha's relations with them, which he knew courtesy of Jinchuuriki-sama.

The proctor had already sent the test away while they waited for the rest of the applicants to finish. After a half hour, another person completed their test, a third candidate followed him after a few more minutes. Within the next fifteen minutes the rest of the ANBU hopefuls were lined up to be taken to the next part of the test.

Their written tests would be evaluated by the end of their testing. From there, the scores on all the tests would be calculated together, and depending on the score a hopeful joined the ranks – pending the Hokage's final say. Though, that was not the only way of becoming an ANBU. In the past, if one scored perfect marks on a specialized part of the test; he or she might be placed into that division of the ANBU department – again pending the Hokage's say – hence why his father requested the proctors to include an interrogation segment to Harry's exams.

With the written exam finished, the proctor gave each applicant a sealed scroll before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.

Biting his thumb, Harry smeared his blood onto the seal, thus breaking it. His eyes quickly translated the scroll; after all, codes were his second language. The scroll gave Harry the location for the next part of his test, as stated previously it was coded, but it was rather simple to break.

Rolling the scroll back up, Harry made his way to a window and proceeded to the designated building.

…

Harry was not going to lie; the place was sordid to say the least. In fact, the boy was cautious of touching anything lest he catch some horrific disease. The boy also approached the proctor cautiously, his kunai withdrawn.

"Candidate 3," the proctor addressed, the test administrator's words did not have the calming effect they were expected to bring.

"Collect all of Hokage-sama's smoking pipes, and bring them to ANBU headquarters. You have until two-hundred hours to complete your task."

Harry nodded in affirmation before quickly disappearing from the disease infested building. Of course he was given the most difficult task possible. Didn't the Hokage watch the proceedings? Harry cursed his luck as he made his way to the park the Hokage's wife spent most of her time at. He better learn more about his target, and who better from than his wife.

…

Harry watched the elderly woman closely, and his mind slipped into her mind despite his obscure vantage point. The child made his ways silently, yet quickly, through the corridors of her memories.

He had tried looking under everyday occurrences, but Harry learned nothing new about where the Kage put his pipes or his routines with them. He tired several other doors before an idea came to him. Some of Fukasaku's tendencies were a great frustration to Shima… Harry found the "door" that led to memories of irksome things in the elderly woman's life.

Sighing in relief, Harry found the jackpot. The old man went to bed with his night-time pipe, which was securely locked in his nightstand. But when he fell asleep it would be placed on the nightstand; that would be Harry's best opportunity to take it. Though the increase in ANBU guards would make his mission difficult, not to mention sneaking up on a Hokage was supposed to be very difficult.

Before entering this woman's mind, Harry figured his mission would be difficult due to the security around the Hokage, but now he had another reason to fear the success of this mission. The Hokage had a set of pipes for each month, holiday, ceremony, and diplomatic meeting. For example, during April the man had a set of cherry wood pipes to honor the falling cherry blossoms. Each set of pipes had a wake-up pipe, morning pipe, midday pipe, late afternoon pipe, dusk pipe, after-dinner pipe, and night-time pipe.

The majority of the old man's pipes were located in his house; however the ceremony and diplomacy pipes were somewhere else. Unfortunately, the wife was uncertain where they might be hiding. These pipes were locked up tighter than some of the scrolls in the kage Library. The fortunate part of all of this, was the fact that Hiruzen only checked his collection in the morning, and left the pipes in his current set in the nearest drawer.

Harry quickly did the math, and there was at least two hundred pipes to steal. Could that many pipes fit into a storage seal, but then storage seals emit a small about of chakra when used…

His father had a bag that defied logic. It was as if it didn't have a bottom. But where did he keep it?

…

"Son?" Harry tensed at his father's entrance; he must have just gotten off of work, which would mean Harry had at least an hour to get all of the pipes out of the Hokage's home vault before he came home.

"I need your bottomless bag," Harry rushed before he resumed his previous efforts. In his haste he did not notice his father's stiffened form.

"I have no such—" James cut himself off. The look his son was throwing him over his shoulder said Harry knew otherwise and did not have the time to argue.

"I have to collect Hokage-sama's pipes and storage scrolls leave chakra residue," James paled mentally, no ANBU candidate to date had passed that test, it was usually reserved for the highly able applicants. However, James knew not to take that as a compliment toward his teaching. James knew this test was an attempt to make sure the "defector" got his just rewards.

James pushed his son out of the way as he began to pry up the floorboard under his bed. From beneath the floorboard, he produced the bag Harry had been searching for. "Don't fail," Harry took the proffered sack and nodded stiffly before completing a series of Hiraishin to get to the Hokage's home.

Once in its vicinity, Harry suppressed his chakra and placed a cloaking jutsu on him, the initial flare of chakra would be passed off as a ninja moving nearby the building, but thankfully the jutsu did not have residue chakra. Harry moved slowly, so as not to distort the air around him where the patrolling guards could see. Linking minds with the closest one, he read their rotation schedule.

There would be a small gap between the guard's surveillance of the bathroom window. Though the window was small, it was still big enough for Harry to fit through. He just had to wait three minutes, and in those three minutes he would organize his plan of attack.

According to Lady Sarutobi's memories, the bathroom was down the hall and to the left of where the old man's pipe vault resided. From his pipe vault, it was the first right into the living room, where his wake-up and after-dinner pipe were stashed. He would wait for them to go to bed before retrieving those two from the living room.

Harry shot up from his crouched position and quickly made his way into the house. He moved softly and made sure his presence in the room would not leave any signs. Breathing deeply, Harry made his way towards the pipe vault room.

…

Harry stared at the vault in homage for several minutes, his mind was lost in the beauty of the many seals set in place. How was he supposed to disarm these without alerting the outside ANBU or leaving a chakra trail? The energy wrapping around the vault alone, was dazzling, impenetrable even.

Energy… what about his raw energy?! He had dispelled his father's impregnable barrier with that wild energy and it left no chakra residue, granted his father had used his wild energy too. What did Harry have to lose? His life was already on the line.

Focusing on that wild energy inside of him, Harry began to push it outwards toward the complex energies in front of him. He kept thinking of disabling the seals, making the energy dissipate. With his eyes closed, he continued focusing on the vault, and tried to lift the security measures from it.

The boy fell to his knees when he saw the energies disperse. He felt so faint, but there was so much natural energy around him. He wondered if he could bring it inwards again and restore his strength? Concentrating, Harry could feel the pulsating natural energy seep into his pores, and replenish that raw energy.

Opening his eyes, the boy noted, via the position of the sun, that the Hokage and his wife should be returning home soon. Getting to his feet, Harry made his way to the vault and quickly opened it after cracking the safe's combination, a rather sad preventative measure when looking at the other precautions.

Here was a little over half the collection. Each set was locked in a glass jewelry case. Pulling out the bag, Harry quickly, but gently, began putting the boxes into the sack.

…

"Hello dear, how was work?" Harry had just finished packing the last case into the bottomless bag, and was now softly locking the vault up, though he did not bother to replace the seals due to the chakra that would put out.

"Fine, fine" the heavy edge the old man's voice said otherwise, "The Council is still in an uproar about letting little Namikaze-kun take the ANBU exams. After all the trouble they went to, to send out the notices for his return to Konoha... They wanted him in special ops a year into the boy's training with Jiraiya-kun,"

Harry remained in the vault room, where he attached himself to a dark corner, so the air disturbance the cloaking jutsu made would be less visible. He could stay here until they went to bed, after all, the Hokage only went into this room in the mornings.

"Well, I hope that boy passes, he's too young to die and I doubt he knows what defecting even means," Hiruzen chuckled at his wife's comment. The sound of rustling fabric, followed by the distinct ding of flatware being set down at a table drifted to Harry through the air duct. In approximately an hour, the Hokage would be smoking his after dinner pipe in the living room. But for now he had to hear and smell the old couple partaking in dinner.

"You know, I never liked the boy's father," the wife commented randomly. "He used to be such a pleasant boy, though he got into more trouble than he was worth,"

"Yes…do you remember when he and Minato-kun made the market's supply of spinach disappear?" His wife's laugh was muted; Harry reasoned that it was stifled by a napkin.

"What about sudden shampoo shortage?"

"Or the Hokage mountain suddenly in color?" the couple stopped eating to laugh at their memories.

"Yes, they even had the courtesy to make your hair brown rather than have streaks of gray," Hiruzen's wife chuckled throughout the whole sentence.

"I always dreaded the summers when Shika would come to visit" the woman sighed softly at her husband's comment.

"I can't remember his real name anymore, but I remember what his parents' names were. Oh Dorea and Charlus were such wonderful people, but they were capable of very curious things," the wife whispered the last part.

"Hmm…" there was silence for the rest of the meal, with only an occasional comment about the wife's day. Before long, Harry could hear the Hokage move to the living room and the smell tobacco drifted through the house. This month's set of pipes was made out of holly.

Breathing slowly in anticipation, Harry heard the couple retreat for the night, thus making this his opportunity to get the two of the three remaining pipes from the house.

…

After repeating his actions with the vault seals to the drawer seals and stowing the two pipes in the bag, he began creeping his way to the bedroom. His already small stature helped him keep low to the ground as he hugged the wall and shadows.

Harry closed his eyes momentarily as he neared the desired room. He could see chakra weaved around the door. The system would alert the presumably sleeping Hokage and alert guards to his entry. Only the Hokage and his wife could open the door without suspicion.

Harry almost gasped as a brilliant idea came to him. The Hokage's wife was annoyed that her husband could never hear the nightly noises that often kept her awake. Also in her "annoying things" memory room, was the fact that her bladder had grown weaker over the years.

Redirecting his route, Harry snuck into the bathroom and turned the faucet slightly on, which allowed a slow but steady drip to fall from it. Smiling triumphantly, the boy made his way back into the hallway, where he then used minimal amounts of chakra to attach himself to the ceiling above the sliding door – the amount would feel like mice's energy level he supposed. It was only a matter of time until the Hokage's wife awoke.

…

Midnight approached quickly with the Hokage's wife slipping out of bed to relieve herself, and turn off that damn faucet her husband must have left on. Harry quickly swung his way into the room as the woman opened the door. From there he made his way along the ceiling toward the bed. He feared to move any closer, but chose to take this opportunity to discover where the other pipes lay hidden.

Making a beeline for hobbies, Harry navigated through the old man's memories until he came to where he put his pipes. The ceremony and diplomatic pipes were locked in a hidden safe behind a false panel in the office. These had codes as well as seals as their defense. Thankfully, he now knew the codes. In addition, he discovered that the remaining pipes of the day were all located in the same drawer of the Hokage's desk, also secured with seals.

It wouldn't be long now for him to be off death's row.

Soundlessly, Harry removed a hook attached to some wire from his tool pouch. Slowly, he lowered the hook until it caught to the bowl of the holly pipe. With a sure hand he began to reel the wire back up, but he nearly cried out when the pipe slipped off the hook. However, circulating his chakra into his feet, he was able to swing down and catch it before the pipe could hit the sleeping Hokage.

Harry's heart was pounding in his chest, and he refused to breathe for a long moment. However, when he turned to the side to look for an escape route, he noticed an ANBU operative looking at him. Shit. He needed out of there, and now!

The operative had a kunai out and was already reeling back his arm to throw it. As the kunai broke glass, Harry found the world slowing down around him as he moved to stand in front of the now stunned ANBU. From there he quickly continued to use the Hiraishin out of the surrounding area. He knew the man did not know who he was due to the cloaking, but Harry still cast a shadow and the air around him quivered from the illusion. Hopefully his father never told anyone he had been learning the Hiraishin.

Harry was halfway to the Hokage's office when the heard the ANBU alarms went off. He still had the pipe in hand and it was only a matter of time before they caught onto his mission.

Harry made it to the ledge of the Hokage's office with no conflict, but by closing his eyes, Harry could see energies moving toward him from behind. Screw it, he was already caught! Using the pipe in his hand, Harry broke the window to the office open, which alerted more guards.

Using the Hiraishin, he found himself at the desk and quickly dispersed the seals with his raw energy, while he simultaneously pulled in natural energy to replenish him. Grabbing the remaining four pipes he teleported himself to the hidden safe. In rushed movements he had the safe wide open and he was rapidly shoving case after case into the bottomless bag.

"I don't know who you think you are, but put my pipes back this instant!" Harry had just finished the packing when the energies showed up behind him. He was surrounded.

Trembling, Harry turned around in his cloaked form while also he removing a marked senbon from his weapons' pouch. The enraged Hokage had his hands up, and was ready to dispel Harry's illusion. Taking a deep breath, Harry threw the senbon above the guards' heads, right in front of the broken window.

He felt his illusion melting away just as he transported himself to the senbon's location, from there he used the Hiraishin no jutsu all the way to the ANBU headquarters, he prayed he marked well enough to have passed this portion of the test!

…

Harry's proctor stared in amazement as the panting brat removed case after case of smoking pipes. No one had ever completed this task before, granted his identity had been revealed and he had been caught in the act, but he still made it back with his prize. The boy even sent several shadow clones out to distract the ANBU guards while he showed his hard work to the test administrator.

"Very well, I will explain the situation to the Hokage, though I'm sure he will be displeased that there are glass shards in one of his pipes," Harry bowed his head in shame, his chest was still beating rapidly and burning from the adrenaline.

"Your next test will be finding Chūnin Mitarashi Anko," Harry nodded quickly, paling slightly due to the rumors he heard about the teenage girl, there was a reason she was one of the best torturers and was in line to become a Jōnin in a few more years "She must be brought back here, alive and unharmed, before sunrise,"

"Can I knock her out?"

"Is that harming her?" How the hell was he going to do this one, especially since the proctor was going to let ANBU operatives keep chasing him for "stealing" the Hokage's pipes? In the proctor's mind it was like a punishment for having his identity compromised.

…

He couldn't use any chakra, if he did, the ANBU would be all over him and Anko was likely to catch on. Thus, Harry suppressed his chakra as he made his slow way out of the ANBU headquarters. He needed a disguise, especially when considering that several ANBU were already heading his way. Looking around he spotted an alley with a dumpster. Perhaps someone threw out clothes?

Harry made his way over there and began searching through the refuse, until his gloved hands touched linen. Pulling the material loose from the garbage, Harry groaned in embarrassment. It would be a perfect disguise… He just hoped Kakashi never saw him, or he had a feeling this would be lorded over his head for many years to come.

…

Anko had to be woken up by the stupid ANBU tearing around the village. Apparently some punk stole all of the Hokage's pipes, to Anko, it sounded more like an ANBU hopeful was tasked with the impossible and succeeded. Wait…she was usually put in the category of impossible tasks to complete. There was always a human tracking and retrieval segment to the test…

Anko quickly got dressed and was looking around her room anxiously. No one has tried breaking in yet…but she felt antsy, and she felt like a sitting duck here. The fourteen-year-old quickly jumped out the window. Like hell she'd be an easy target.

As she walked the streets, she could see the ANBU still flitting around like headless chickens. Guess they hadn't found the culprit. Honestly, ever since she became a Chūnin, the ANBU hopefuls had been tasked to capture her and bring her to some specific location. So she typically made the unlucky bastard suffer.

She was perhaps a kilometer from the ANBU headquarters when she heard whimpering coming from an alleyway. Maybe there was a bleeding puppy or cat! Her stomach flipped in anticipation as she made her way into the dark alley. The whimpering stopped as soon as the tack of her footsteps resounded through the alley.

"NO!" a small, weak voice shrieked, and the whimpering resumed before it progressed into full on panicked crying. That sounded like a child…

The teenager moved into the alley with more caution…wasn't there a kid being tested for the ANBU division? She had heard some ANBU talking about a boy, the cousin of the Yondaime and a supposed defector, who was taking the ANBU exam. She had a kunai in her hand as she approached the wailing child. However, the weapon fell from her hand at the sight before her.

There was a little girl huddled against the alley wall, her body was covered with bruises and lacerations, her face slightly swollen with purple and yellowing bruises. Her ivory skin barely peeked through the sludge that covered her. Her little pink sundress was torn and looked as if it was taken from a trash can. The little girl's long silky black locks were tangled; some segments were even caked in dirt. What in the name of the Hokage had happened?

As Anko knelt beside the child, she noticed the girl tense and move closer to the nearest wall. "I'm not going to hurt you," though the girl was smudged with blood, Anko had no desire to taste it. "What happened?"

The little girl tried to move away from Anko, but only ended up brushing harshly against the alley wall and whimpering more due to the pain. Anko took the girl by her arms firmly, only causing her to flail and shriek, like a wild animal.

"Tell me what happened, then we can see if anyone can help,"

"You'll hurt me too!" the girl screamed, her vibrant green eyes were dark with fear of pain, and shimmered with an ingrained distrust.

"I used to get death threats because my teacher is now a missing-nin; so why don't you tell me what's wrong, I can probably empathize," Anko's gray eyes were serious for once and the child seemed to relax slightly.

"Mommy couldn't hide me," the little girl whispered brokenly.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't have the eyes," the girl sobbed, and pressed herself against the wall. "T-they kicked me out,"

"What are you talking about?" something at the back of Anko's mind told her she already knew the answer, but she didn't want to believe it.

"They kicked me out of the compound," the little girl whispered defeated, her body was shaking with tears. Compound, eyes, it clicked.

"Did your family do this to you?" the teenager was gesturing to the wounds littering the girl's body. The girl only shook her head slowly and fear grew inside her once more, if the drawing in of her body was anything to go by.

"Did…did the villagers do this?" she knew there was still some prejudices directed toward the Uchihas after Madara tried a one-man coup d'état, but to take their aggression out on a disowned Uchiha girl… This intolerance could not stand to go unpunished.

"My name is Anko, why don't I take you to some people that can help, you just have to tell them what happened and who did this, okay?" Anko let go of the girl and held out her arms for the girl to take so she could carry her, if the girl let her.

"I-I'm Aikiko," the girl stuttered as she shakily reached out toward the teenager, Anko smiled softly as she wrapped the girl in her arms and carried her to the nearby ANBU headquarters. Because of her work in T&I she was familiar with the ANBU, and she often had to run errands at the headquarters. She knew she couldn't take the girl to the police corps because she was disowned and the ANBU headquarters would know what to do.

…

Anko violently hit against the intercom button leading into the headquarters – it was a nondescript building that appeared like any other office building. It had special seals on it to divert people's attention, and alert those within if anyone was attempting to enter it.

Anko was growling in frustration, which only led to the little girl to tensing in her arms. Were all the operatives out chasing the pipe thief? After the twelfth time she rung, she finally got a response

"What?! I'm waiting for an applicant to return from their current test," Aikiko whimpered into Anko's trench coat, her body was trembling in fear.

"Listen, ANBU-san! I have a little abused Uchiha child, abused by a civilian," there was a long pause.

"Then take it to the Police Corps, it's one of theirs, isn't it?"

"They disowned her for not having Sharingan eyes," Anko growled back which made the girl whimper all the more pathetically. There was yet another pause, "Are you really going to let this go? Civilians can't just attack kids like that, what if they started attacking a specific s-class secret brat? Before we know it, the brat's tenant will be released with the kid's death!"

"What does the girl look like?" came the angry response from the ANBU.

"Long black hair, pale skin, green eyes, and covered with dirt and bruises. Ya gonna let us up and file a report?!" Anko's free arm was flailing around in her agitation.

"Fifth floor," did Anko detect a hint of amusement in that bastard's voice? Was it so hard to believe she cared about children?

Grumbling the entire way, Anko kicked the door open to the specified floor. What was inside the room angered her even more than her conversation with the man. The bastard was laughing, and clutching his gut in laughter.

"Extra points for originality, applicant," the ANBU test examiner was still laughing, "And bringing the target here of her own free will,"

Anko turned her gaze slowly toward the flushed and no longer frightened girl. Anko quickly dropped the child in repulsion, only to see the "girl" land in a graceful crouch. The still chuckling proctor retrieved a large stack of files and shoved them into the stunned Chūnin's arms.

"Now that you're here, you need to rewrite all of these mission overviews you've submitted. Candidate three, your next objective is detailed inside that scroll,"

"Will you call the ANBU search off of me and give the Hokage his pipes back?" Harry asked softly as he shifted uncomfortably in the dirty dress to try and shake off Anko's death glare.

"When you complete your tests," with a sigh, the disguised boy broke open the seal and read through the inside directions. The green eyed boy just sighed as he moved toward a ratty knapsack resting beside a huge mound of jewelry boxes. Anko nearly kicked herself for only now noticing the pipe collection.

The boy left soon after, not using an ounce of chakra as he did so. "Which test is it now?" Anko asked conversationally in an attempt to hold off the mission reports for as long as possible.

"Ability to kill, and before you ask, interrogation is after that. Then his scores will be tabulated, but it already looks like he'll make it in. Now get started on your work, and no more talking," Anko just glowered at the man, and refused to get started but finally conceding. At least she was trusted enough to be told that much information, amazing what working for the interrogation department let her do.

…

Harry quickly found the first dummy. The dummies were infused with sensors that sent data back to the proctor on how effectively and efficiently he "killed" each dummy. There were also highly sensitive sensors set up around each dummy to ensure that only the most silent and lightest movements would ensure perfect marks.

With an unsettling ease, at least for the proctors, the dummies were decapitated and the scrolls inside, which indicated the next location, were removed without alerting any of the stealth sensors. And so it went on, until the child was lead to the T & I department for the final part of his test.

…

"Why are you wearing a dress?" green eyes shot open and the child sat up from his dozing state to look wide eyed at an unimpressed deer masked ANBU.

"Did they call off my search?" that was the only reason his father would be here and not out chasing after him; at least that was what Harry believed, for nothing else made sense.

"What did you do?" James drawled, as he pulled a chair up in front of his son who had been taking a nap at an interrogation table.

"I was caught getting the last pipe from the Hokage-sama's home, and then again at his office," Harry's head was bowed, his chest burned with the familiar heat of shame while his dirty and bruised cheeks flushed.

"Since they recognized your chakra you can't use it now," the father deduced with an understanding nod before "tsk"ing. "You have to be more careful, you can't head into things so brashly," like parents like offspring. James and Lily were put into Gryffindor for a reason, after all.

Sighing, James pulled out a handkerchief and wetted it with his canteen. He began to gingerly wipe away at the dirt on his son's face.

"I know, Father," Harry whispered, his finger was rubbing patterns into the table in front of him, while his father continued his gentle ministrations. It was so odd that he was being so kind.

"Why does that leave you in dress though?" his father asked after a pause. Of course James would get hung up on that fact, wouldn't he?

"I needed to bring Mitarashi Anko to the ANBU headquarters. So I pretended to be a disowned Uchiha that was beaten by a prejudiced civilian," Harry took a large breath after his explanation, before adding on, "and it's known amongst ANBU and those who work around them, that a young boy is applying for ANBU ranks."

"We need to cut your hair," Lily always wanted a girl, and like hell he'd let his son look like one. His hand with the handkerchief dropped at his son's deadpan expression.

"No,"

"Yes," James persisted, his voice still a monotone drone but for the slight edge added to it.

"Father," Harry's voice was equally dead and persistent.

"Son,"

"It's clearly come in handy," Harry had the determined light in his eyes; one that Lily often had burning, especially when it came to Severus. She was determined to stand up for him, and be his friend despite his distancing from her, but later she had a determination to stay mad at him for his mudblood comment. All of that was seen by the fire in her striking emerald eyes…a shade and fire that Harry unwittingly mimicked.

"You're mind's set, you're never going to cut your hair?" Harry nodded curtly, which caused his father to snort in amusement and shake his head slowly. "Your mother gave me that expression quite often," Harry felt his shoulders straighten at the comment, a small smile tugged at his face.

"You certainly have her temper, if I read the Operative Neko's memories correctly," Harry bowed his head as his smile grew, "Consider that your birthday present, as well as some new gear if you pass," Harry looked up at his father in surprise. It was his birthday?

"I hope I get to at least see you to your eleventh," James stated as he got up from his chair, a proctor entered the room with a petty thief behind him. "Hurt my…daughter, and you'll be eating through a straw for the rest of your life," James growled as he walked past the now cowering thief, unfortunately the examiner was instructing the boy and so neither one heard the exchange.

"Find out what he stole," the proctor whispered as a closing note, and moved to leave the room. He was curious how the boy was going to solve this; his father often just stared at the person until announcing what the suspect did.

The man sat down nervously in front of the roughed up girl, she looked really fragile. Harry, who could already see the man's thoughts, and inwardly cursed his father. "Hi, I'm Aikiko," Harry greeted in a small but cheerful voice, mimicking Naruto's tone when the boy met a stranger for the first time.

"Senji," the man looked down at the table, disbelief was starting to overcome his nervousness. They were letting a five-year-old interrogate him?! Were they desperate?

"I'm seven years old!" Harry exclaimed, now mimicking the children from his old neighborhood, "Does Senji-san have any children?" Harry asked with wide eyes, his mind was still connected with the man's, and so far he had not lied.

"Yes, I have two sons, both are in the academy," Senji paused, his eyes narrowed in an attempt to understand this kid and why the hell she was in here, "Are you planning to go to the academy?"

"No, Daddy's teaching me!" Harry exclaimed proudly, "the other kids don't really like me," Harry murmured sadly, and gingerly rubbed his painted and cut arms. He had found some purple and blue eye make-up in the alley, which helped to simulate the bruises on his arms, while he cut himself lightly with a kunai for the lacerations.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm sure your father is doing a good job," Senji smiled weakly, while he wondered when he would be let out.

"How old are Senji-san's sons?" Harry asked, his feigned happy mood slowly returned.

"Eight and ten," Senji began to move his gaze around the interrogation room in boredom.

"Kind of young. Are Senji-san's sons prodigies?" the man laughed loudly at the "girl's" comment before sobering.

"No, not by any means," the man had his head down, and he regarded the table in morbid amusement

"Then why are they in the academy?" Harry asked softly, his brow was furrowed up in Naruto's trademark "confused" expression, while he scratched his cheek lightly.

"They're hoping that when they become ninjas they'll make a lot of money," Senji admitted as he shook his head sadly, clearly he didn't believe they could make it. The man then looked at the girl across from him, she looked very confused, "Our business is failing and they think being ninjas will boost our family income," Harry nodded slowly, his brow still furrowed in confusion.

"Never mind, you clearly don't understand," Harry made a whine as the man began to stand up from the seat. He was clearly annoyed with this whole charade.

"Maybe Senji-san can tell me what his store is. I could convince Daddy to buy there?" that was enough to stop the man's movements and leave him laughing yet again. The man was leaning on one arm against the table while he gave the girl an incredulous look.

"Yes, I can see it!" the man laughed again. "A fierce little Kunoichi with a big bad ANBU father buying from our frilly girl's clothing emporium," the man just laughed louder, and leaned down back into his seat.

"Why? Maybe I'd like to wear a silk kimono?" Harry crossed his arms over his chest and puffed out his cheeks, another imitation from the children around his neighborhood. He knew he was getting close. The man had many memories of his wife pouring over kimono sewing patterns, but none were ever made…until recently.

"Well that's just it; our clients want fine muslin dresses or smooth silk from Suna. The best we could offer is a nice pink cotton yukata," Harry smiled softly; the lie was clear in his voice, and the memoires of his heist were sharp in his mind.

"So that's why you stole that shipment of Suna silk?" Senji's eyes widened marginally, "because you don't have those high end materials?"

"I never said that you little bitch!" roared Senji, slamming his fists on the table and looming over the little "girl".

"But your actions say otherwise," the man's attention turned to the ANBU proctor at the door. "Candidate 3, your scores have been calculated." Senji turned his head slowly to regard the stone faced child. ANBU candidate? The shock alone was enough to bring the man into unconsciousness. The proctor ignored the unconscious man and continued his speech, "and with your perfect marks on this interrogation segment, you have passed your ANBU exams – seeing how the Hokage has already picked you. Congratulations,"

Harry was left alone for a brief moment to collect his thoughts before his father came in. "Congratulations,"

"I'm not going to die…"

"At least not today," drawled James, inwardly relieved and rejoicing. "Would you rather I give you pink kimono for your birthday or a new set of knives?" there was a slight teasing edge to James's monotone, but Harry clearly had not caught it.

"Why would you buy me a kimono?" Harry's expression was two parts bewilderment and one part horror. To be honest, James would prefer that those parts were switched, but his attitude was probably the most confusing thing for the boy.

"Didn't you say you wanted one?" the father was now leading his tired son out of the interrogation room, one hand was steering him by the shoulder.

"No," Harry's voice was alarmed and confused, he began to shake his head wildly, "Why would I?" The eight-year-old jumped in shock when his father began laughing, loudly. His father was laughing?!

"I'm teasing you," his father explained with mirth still ringing in his voice.

"You're capable of that?" Harry was used to being teased by Jinchuuriki-sama, Cousin Minato, and Jiraiya-sensei, but now his father was teasing him?

"Yes, Son, I am," James shook his head in amusement before he forced himself to return to his stoic demeanor, "Let's get you breakfast before seeing about those knives," Harry nodded slowly, unable to stop staring at his father. Good things never lasted with him, and the boy was worried what tomorrow would bring.

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><p><em><strong>A Suivre<strong>_

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><p><em><strong>AN:**_ again it will before I update. And yes, the pipe bit was supposed to be silly and show part of the Hokage's eccentricities. Also,James is a really weird character so if he seems OOC in this, he isn't, he's just that fucked up. Also, is it clear that ANBU is confidential, but obviously word gets around especially to Anko who has affiliations with the headquarters, I hope I reconciled that. Hope you enjoyed it ~ depressedchildren.


	15. Chapter 10: Being the New Operative

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own, nor do I gain anything (but writing and editing experience) by using the plot and characters from these works. Naruto and and the Harry Potter series belong to their respective creators, editors, publishers, and companies.

**_Summary:_** They were all trying to escape, whether it was from fate, war, grief, abuse, hate. They were all trying to escape. There are many Harry Potter spoilers for those who have not read the books, and spoilers for the Naruto series as well. **Warnings:** violence, cross-dressing, swearing, silliness, torture, implied drug use.

**A/N:** I'm updating, yep. This is dark again…but there's some fluffy parts…for a little while. It will get lighter, I promise, just give it a few more chapters… Anyways, thank you to all who reviewed, put this on alert or favorite. Enjoy, much love ~ depressedchildren

Key:

_text_ is text

_levi corpus_ a known spell, usually a perversion of a Latin phrase

_"Dialogue" _the opposite language of the world they are in

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><p><em><strong>Chapitre Dix<strong>_

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><p>Jiraiya stared down into his drink. Sometimes…Konoha sickened him; between the clueless, bloodthirsty civilians and the conniving council. He knew why they had the council, to appease the civilians and maintain the civilian monetary contributions. He also understood why the Hokage begrudgingly listened to them; the council had connections with the Daiymo. Really, it all dwindled down to economy, money, financial support, or any other term for it.<p>

It was disgusting how dependent even the greatest ninja in the country could be on the financial support provided by those heartless people. Without financial support, which usually required bending backwards to meet the council's demands, meant ninja with less to do and being paid less for the work done. It was overall bad to not meet the council's demands; of course ninja were masters of subterfuge, which was always useful in finding ways around the harder to meet demands, but sometimes it wasn't enough. Just looking at Suna showed the significance of monetary support; through Jiraiya's network he learned that the Kazekage was willing to sacrifice his family to make a jinchuuriki in hope of increasing future revenue.

Jiraiya couldn't help but sigh. He knew where his significance lay. Yes, he was the spymaster. Yes, he had an immense and intricate network of informants, but what he provided was intelligence for the ninja which then used it to guard the country. He played a vital role to the security of the country, but he only reported to the Hokage who left out mention of him for security purposes. He was someone working from the shadows, so to speak, unacknowledged by anyone in the country for his work. He assumed the council had caught on, but did they know for certain, likely no.

Was Jiraiya paid for his services? Not exactly, hence his budding work as a novelist. He could not be paid for being the spymaster, for if enemies were to ever question where his income came from—when he seemingly traveled the world fucking around—it would raise too many questions. Writing was providing him something to live off of, but unfortunately it also caused a decrease in his credibility amongst the council. His reputation was nearly in tatters from all of his skirt chasing. He was still a brilliant and revered ninja, but he was not seen as terribly reliable due to said skirt chasing tendencies.

He shook his head before he ran a hand through his hair. He really should have written back, maybe none of this would have happened? Though, the council would have gotten what they wanted one way or another. They wanted another Namikaze under their thumb—not that the council ever really had Minato-kun, Jiraiya chuckled to himself at their delusions. Minato-kun was trying to figure out a way for the Hokage to become independent from the council and their money. By now the brat likely would have found a way to make Konoha self-sufficient without need of the Daiymo's support or money. Jiraiya shook his head sadly at the wasted potential.

What the council's schemes came down to was having someone powerful, with the same potential as Minato-kun, but someone they could inculcate into their corruption. Fat chance they had at that, the little Namikaze hated their guts for their machinations and their attempts on little Naruto's life. Though that was it, wasn't it? Why they thought he defected, or wanted people to believe he defected.

The council realized the little Namikaze was already swept up by the "demon-child." They realized that they wouldn't have some tool to manipulate. The brat loved the "demon," which was simply unacceptable. Perhaps they thought his young mind was seduced by the Kyuubi's evil chakra, and he had fled Jiriaya while on the training mission.

Jiraiya barked in laughter, bitter laughter at that thought. The other occupants of the rundown bar looked at him curiously. Jiraiya just lifted his glass and tipped his head toward them before knocking back the shot. It burned the whole way down, but damn did he need it. He was a ball of nerves. Jiraiya may be ever the optimist, but he still felt anxious about his student's success. Would the brat pass his ANBU examination?

The council wouldn't make it easy on a "demon sympathizer," and that was what worried him the most. It was as if… Jiraiya sighed again and motioned for the bartender to refill his shot. It was as if the council took out anyone they couldn't manipulate or use as a tool. They became expendable. Naruto was expendable unless they could mold the toddler into a weapon for Konoha, and the Namikaze brat was expendable if they couldn't get him to hate the new jinchuuriki.

Jiraiya understood that the Hokage could do little about the council due to the aforementioned monetary games and traps, but perhaps… perhaps someday the council would cross the line and get a reality check. Jiraiya almost couldn't wait for that day when the council was told their place. It would take someone ballsy, someone powerful, someone with a vision…maybe it would be his god-son Naruto? Jiraiya smiled against the lip of his glass before he knocked it back as well.

Yeah, he could almost see it now. A mini version of Minato-kun telling the council how it is, and maybe the brat would be standing behind the council kunai at the ready with a fierce ANBU mask. They'd be a hellish team someday, the brat and Naruto.

That was what he looked forward to as he waited for his newest informant and a seal from the Hokage that informed him of the brat's success: his student and his god-son becoming the fiercest shinobi in all of Konoha. Yeah, the brat would succeed, he just knew the brat would succeed and piss the council off. He would be one tool they could not win over and control. Yeah…that was it, that was it.

…

"Let me see," Harry blushed at his friend's request, and only covered his arm that much more. It still hurt, almost as if the needle was still piercing his arm.

"Nii!" Harry glared at his roommate for dragging the loud child into this. Begrudgingly, Harry removed the gauze bandage from his arm, thus revealing his ANBU tattoo. Kakashi looked at it intensely before squeezing the younger boy's shoulder, though not the one with the tattoo.

"So…?" Harry winced as Naruto poked his still red arm, the tattoo would take a few days to heal. Harry forced himself to focus on what Kakashi was saying rather than the pain. "What's your name?"

Harry shyly retrieved his porcelain mask, it was a fierce depiction of a crow, "Karasu," Naruto and Kakashi seemed to be trying the name out, Harry had already done so while getting his tattoo. It felt so strange, but so good to have a name. After all these years, he had a name people could call him!

"Karasu…" Kakashi gave his usual eye-smile before clapping his friend on the shoulder, "I like it!" Harry smiled softly in return.

"Me too,"

"Nii, name Ka-su?" if not for his familiarity with the little blonde, Harry would not have understood his question.

"Yes, but you can only call me Karasu when I'm wearing this," Harry held up his ANBU mask, "or I'm here and it's just us three," the boy then gestured between them.

"Okay Nii!" the two ninja smiled at the ecstatic little boy. "Ichi-ru's?"

"He has a point, you shouldn't have to cook on your birthday," Kakashi wheedled, however his eye-smile portrayed a sly expression.

"You just don't want to see Naruto cry," Harry deadpanned which made the eye-smile deflate and caused Naruto to giggle at his guardians' interaction.

"Am I that transparent?"

Smiling slightly, Harry shook his head, "No, I just read your mind," whether that was indeed the case or Harry being nice, Kakashi was not sure. "Alright, Ichikaru's it is" Naruto cheered loudly, his chubby fists pumped up into the air while he wobbled slightly in his highchair.

…

"Are kids his age supposed to eat that much?" Harry was looking at his friend with an alarmed expression. Harry's hand had shot out several times to ensure the blonde wasn't drowning in his miso ramen. Though how else was Naruto supposed to eat his ramen when he could not fully use chopsticks and the bowl was too heavy for him? Maybe this was a bad idea, but Kakashi had been eating here with the blonde all week.

"He's not allowed to come here again until he learns how to use chopsticks," Harry ordered in a low voice to make sure the blonde, who was up to his ears in ramen, could not hear him. "No matter how big of a tantrum he throws,"

"You have to be monster to say no to his kicked puppy face," Kakashi whined weakly. At Harry's look, the teen sighed and began to stir his ramen with his chop stick.

Like Harry, Kakashi had changed over the last year and ten months. He had wallowed in his teacher's death for a few months, that is, until he recalled what Harry had said to him. He was Kakashi's friend, one of his precious people. He hadn't lost everyone, yet, and he'd have Naruto when they came back. It would be like reminder of his teacher and his boisterous wife, a show that they were still traces of them in the world.

It took a lot of effort to change the way he thought to see life that way, but it finally worked. His Sharingan was a reminder of Rin and Obito, every time Kakashi checked into the hospital Rin would come to his mind, the bustling Uchiha compound was Obito's reminder. Ever since the war ended he had thought of those little things as haunting reminders, places and things to make him regret and feel sad, but now…now they were his reminders of their existence, and of the good they made.

However, after a mission where he had to take a life…he could not help but dwell on morbid things. Was the Sharingan with which he was gifted meant to be used in such a way? Would Rin and Obito approve of him casually killing people with the help of the transplant eye? Would his Sensei approve of his sometimes brutal attacks and ways of dispatching enemies? This usually brought him to the memorial stone. He sought penance there, he begged for their forgiveness, forgiveness for using the gifts and knowledge they gave him in such a…terrible way. It was a shinobi's duty to kill, but…

Kakashi shook away those thoughts the way he normally did, with memories of what Harry said to him while in his mind. He was a precious person, and Harry wanted him to take care, to be safe…so he wouldn't lose him too. And now Kakashi had Naruto to pull him from those dark places, his cheerful smile was so much like his sensei, despite having very few teeth.

Speaking of Naruto…

"Neh! Kaka-nii, why no face?" it took the almost fifteen-year-old a minute to process the question.

"I don't like showing my face," Kakashi stated before distracting Naruto with a flash of light while he chugged down his ramen. Harry already knew not to try and catch his friend with his mask down. When Kakashi was ready, he'd show Harry his face, and the boy was okay with waiting as long as it took.

"So what is your schedule like?" Kakashi ignored Naruto's loud disappointed whines in favor of his older, but still younger than him, companion.

"I'm on patrol from sunset to rise," Kakashi nodded slightly at the boy's response. Part of Kakashi wondered if his young friend was on probation. He had not heard all of the stipulations that came with the test.

"They haven't found a partner for you yet? Or are they just keeping you close?" Kakashi had paused between his two questions, and the latter of which came out as a bitter afterthought.

"Both, I think, though I am on probation" Harry shrugged, and stirred his ramen with his chopsticks, "At least I can watch Naruto while you work during the day," Harry stated smiling slightly.

"Yeah…you know they want me to take a Genin team?"

"They wouldn't listen to you," Harry's expression was one of disbelief, disbelief that the Hokage would suggest Kakashi take such a position. Most of the academy graduates were ten to twelve years old, which would make it difficult for the teen to control them.

"Well, if they fail my test, then I won't have to worry," the nonchalant way Kakashi said that made Harry shake his head in amusement.

"Bell test?" Kakashi nodded his head in affirmation, both males shared pleased smiles.

"Ah!" the two ninja turned to the side to see that Naruto had finished his second bowl of ramen, some of the noodles stuck on his chin while one stray noodle stuck to the boy's eyebrow.

Chuckling softly, the two grabbed napkins from the dispensers on the counter, and began to gingerly wipe away the mess from the blonde's face. Kakashi threw money on the counter for their tab before he helped Harry with a squirming Naruto out of the stand.

…

The rest of Harry's birthday was spent moving his few belongings, mostly clothes and a few scrolls, to Kakashi's apartment. Kakashi's place consisted of a living/dining room with a designated space for the kitchen, a bathroom, and one bedroom. The bedroom could fit three bedrolls easily; however, ever since Naruto began to crawl, he preferred to sleep with Harry rather than in a crib.

In Harry's week long absence, the little blonde had become a leech to Kakashi, as demonstrated by the untouched bedroll set up for Naruto. At least they wouldn't have to go out and get another mattress for a few years.

Naruto chattered incessantly while his guardians put away Harry's few possessions. The eight-year-old never really unpacked his weapons from his training with Jiraiya, and so he was all set after rounding up the few clothes that would still fit him. Come his first paycheck, Harry would have to go out and get new clothes, and healthier foods. How was Kakashi still thin with all that junk food spilling out of his cupboards?

"Nii!" Harry turned to look at the little blonde and he smiled when he saw a book in the toddler's hand. It was a collection of myths, for some reason the little boy loved hearing the fables Shima and Fukasaku told him. Jiraiya had spotted this book during their few hour stay in Amegakure, and he bought it "as a gift for Naruto." Harry quickly deduced that they found the bag full of Naruto's things in his pack and gave it to Kakashi while Harry was in interrogation.

"How far have you read?" Harry asked as he flipped through the book. He assumed the teenager had read to the little blonde.

"Chapter six," Kakashi sat down on the other side of Naruto and began to sharpen some of his dulled kunai. Naruto didn't even bat an eye at his older guardian, for his attention was solely focused on the colorful pictures in front him. Smiling, his pudgy fingers began to trace the design at the bottom of the page.

Harry found the correct chapter and began by reading the chapter title, ""The Tougeika, Chapter Six.

""There was once a large and thriving clan, which moved from region to region in a time before the great hidden villages. They were special, they were unique. They could see into people's minds" strange…" Harry looked over at his friend who also looked intrigued.

"It's probably coincidence, this is a book filled with legends and most legends were an attempt to explain the impossible… so they usually have no weight." Harry nodded slightly, though he did not look encouraged. Naruto, for his part, was mesmerized by the colorful artwork. "Why don't you keep reading, I'm sure they are very different from you and your father," Kakashi suggested before going back to sharpening his kunai.

Taking a deep breath, Harry repeated the sentence he had cut off, "'they could see into people's minds and mold or destroy them. The Tougeika clan, as they were called, could even shape ideas in others' minds. They had an affinity for seals, and helped the many clans improve the seals placed upon the first jinchūriki. However, the Tougeika clan grew sick of the fighting that surrounded them, and all together they disappeared. The potters of minds and seals left to never return,"

"That's sad," Kakashi murmured, not at all perturbed.

Harry nodded, lost in his own thoughts. Where had they gone? He was from another world, could they have gone there? Did other worlds really exist?

"More!" Kakashi and Harry turned to look at their little jinchūriki and laughed softly.

"Alright, what's next?" Kakashi took the book from Harry after setting his kunai down, ""The Lady Raven, Chapter Seven…""

Harry watched as his teenage friend read the book carefully to the little blonde, this chapter took up several pages, rather than two pages filled with pictures and text squeezed in. It was a sad story, but half way through the little blonde's eyes drooped shut, as his head rested on Kakashi's leg.

Kakashi closed up the book before he began to move the little child to his bedroll. Harry had already left to get ready for bed, and so Kakashi felt it safe to change his clothes. He had just changed into his sleep pants and was about to pull on a shirt, when he felt small hands touching his back.

"What happened?" Kakashi grimaced beneath his mask, but his efforts to put on his shirt were undone by the following words, "I'll get the first aid kit but know that you're going to tell me, one way or another."

Where did the kid have the right to come off as the adult? Kakashi was the oldest one! However, Kakashi felt like a hypocrite. He often acted like the parent with his father, he wasn't sure why it happened, but he had always felt confused by his father when he was very young, about Naruto's age actually.

Kakashi was motioned to sit while Harry tended to the many bruises covering Kakashi's torso. "Kakashi, what happened?"

"Civilians, they were trying to "kill the demon" but I made them take their aggression out on me rather than him," Kakashi wasn't going to say that he had used a henge to appear as Naruto and took the beating while the toddler hid elsewhere. "And since then they have been…dealt with," Kakashi ended carefully. Harry paused in his ministrations at his friend's words.

As the guardians of the Kyuubi jinchuuriki they were in a precarious place politically. To outright attack civilians attacking Naruto could be twisted to suggest demonic influence; however, after the fact, the civilians could be…handled. Many of the mob that had attacked likely vanished the next day to never show up again, others might wander back into society after weeks and weeks of "behavioral" adjustment.

"How did they get in?" Harry's voice was cold, but Kakashi knew his anger was directed at the civilians and not him.

"Door," Kakashi had his head bowed, grimacing.

"You forgot the majority of people use them, didn't you?" Harry teased softly as he finished rubbing a salve on his friend's purple and yellowing torso. It was actually more likely that the teen didn't expect civilians to have the guts to actually attack, for their windows were secured and the building itself was also very secure.

"There's exploding tags around it now," oh the landlord would be thrilled about that. Harry just shook his head while Kakashi put on his shirt. There wouldn't be another problem for a while what with the vanishing mob members, but it would be best to prepare for future incidents.

"I'll start working on safety measures, okay?"

"Okay,"

…

In his pajamas, Harry began to place seals around the apartment door and every window. The small pieces of paper would alert them that someone had entered the apartment. Each form of entrance glowed a light blue after the first seal, but why not try to keep people out too? Harry still remembered that strange barrier his father made around that building during the Kyūbi attack.

Moving to the outside of the door (having disarmed the exploding tags), Harry recalled what the energy in the barrier felt like, and he remembered the purpose behind it. Letting his wild energy out slowly, he made a veil around the door. With it completed, Harry tried to walk back in to the apartment but was repelled back. Surely there was a way to make it recognize him? The seals in the Hokage's house were like that.

Focusing once more, Harry began to twist the energies around, and let his chakra seep in as well. All the while, he kept imagining that it would recognize his chakra and let him in and out. Taking a deep breath, Harry opened his eyes and took a step toward the veil. He felt the energy encompass him before he was let through.

He felt drained as he slid down to his knees. Once more, the boy focused on the natural energy around him and brought it inwards, which revitalized his raw energy.

"Karasu?" Harry looked toward his concerned friend and smiled.

"Try leaving via the door," Kakashi looked at his friend like he was a three headed dog, before he slowly made his way towards the evil entrance. At first he was puzzled by the fact that he could not move through it, but he soon became frustrated by the fact that he could not budge the mysterious barrier.

"Before you do this to the windows, remember that ANBU have to come in," Kakashi was panting against the open doorway, his back was now resting against the barrier. Harry pursed his lips at Kakashi's words, that **was** a good point…

But if he could weave the raw energy to accept his chakra, surely he could do that with seals! Smirking, Harry got up from his place on the floor and moved to the window.

Kakashi watched in fascination as Harry completed a long series of hand signs which his eye could barely keep up with. The seal appeared for a few seconds above the window before disappearing. Harry closed his eyes and just stood there, as if he was concentrating on the energy within the seal or within himself. Kakashi's eye widened when he saw the seal reappear, but it flashed a light blue, perhaps from Harry's chakra?

"Kakashi, come here and bring Naruto. I need to add your chakra to the seal so you both can come in and out freely," Kakashi gaped at his friend for a few seconds before he dumbly went and retrieved the still sleeping blonde. By midnight, the apartment was assassin and civilian proof. Harry had apparently added what he had done to the door but in seal form, and he made sure the windows recognized the underlying sense of Konoha chakra. To Kakashi, it was like magic. To Harry, this was a new power, whatever it was.

…

After having such a late night, Harry was more than happy to lie in bed all day. However, a hyper few-months-shy-of-a-two year old felt otherwise. Green eyes peered from under the covers as a wobbling boy stood bouncing in front of him while loud exclamations of hunger pounded against the older boy's ear drums.

"I'm up," Harry sighed, using his arms to bring himself into a plank before hoping into an upright position. Naruto clapped in his excitement, asking for the first time that day if they could go to 'Ichi-ru's', the first of what would seem like a hundred requests.

Naruto watched Harry cook in the kitchen with a disappointed pout marring his baby like visage. "I want Ichi-ru's!"

"You've had too much of it, and you look like you're drowning when you eat there," Harry finished up breakfast, setting a plate of rice with a miso soup broth and steamed vegetables, in front of Naruto. The broth was actually in a sipping cup so the toddler would not have a repeat of the other night.

Harry picked at the food lightly, his body was sore from all the…energy, whatever sort of energy that was, he used guarding the apartment. With breakfast done and the dishes washed, Harry set Naruto amongst his few toys—things Kakashi had picked up on missions ever since he adopted the boy. Naruto was more than happy with the toys, having mostly played with swamp dolls Shima meticulously made.

With a slight frown, Harry realized the toddler would soon forget his toad family. If it wasn't for the Bad Man's fragmented soul residing in Harry, the boy would not have remembered his mother at all. Granted, the memory he had of her was nightmarish, and he hated recalling the incident with Jiraiya.

Thinking of Jiraiya made Harry wince. Naruto was just as likely to not remember him, and Jiraiya was so fond of the soon to be toddler. It wasn't fair to them. They loved Naruto, he was the grandson they all wanted, well…Shima wanted him to call her mother but that would never happen. Maybe he could tell him stories as he got older, or maybe he could just ask the little boy questions about them; anything to keep at least a faint memory of them in the child's mind.

"Nii, play with me?" Harry was lying on the little couch when Naruto wobbled up to him with a fox plushy held out.

"Naruto, do you remember when Gamatatsu-nii and Gamakichi-nii tried to play 'who can catch the most flies' with you?" Harry regarded the young boy who was currently giggling and nodding his head adamantly.

"Tatsu-nii won with big face!" Naruto cried, puffing out his cheeks to imitate what the yellow frog looked like at the end of the game.

Harry nodded, taking the abandoned fox and holding it up to Naruto, "What do you want to do?"

"That Kyuu," Kyuubi, Harry inferred while the little boy held up large stuffed toad animal, courtesy of Jiraiya and the first toy Naruto ever had, "That Bun-bun," Gambunta, "And this Mommy and Daddy," The boy held up the salt and pepper shakers. The great Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato were reduced to condiments. Oh the couple must be rolling around in Naruto's seal.

"Okay, and what are Cousin Minato and Uzumaki-san doing with these two?" Harry asked, mirth seeping into his voice as he held up the two stuffed animals.

"Daddy's on Bun-bun, and Mommy's yellin' at Kyuu!" How did Naruto know that she was prone to doing that?

"Why is she doing that?"

"Jir-jii said so!" Harry cocked an eyebrow at this, and against his better judgment he moved into his 'little brother's' mind to fish out this memory. It was on their way to Amegakure, Harry was fast asleep and Naruto asked for stories about his parents. The young boy already knew who his parents were and the toads went on and on about Minato, but Naruto wanted to know more about his mother.

"Nii! Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii" Harry snapped his attention back to the little boy who was starting to turn red from trying to get his big brother to focus on him again rather than having misty gaze directed at him. Naruto finally stopped his annoying 'iiii's when Harry lightly bonked him with the fox toy.

"You be Kyuu 'n Bun-bun," Naruto exclaimed, getting a better hold on the shakers. And thus began the epic battle between the three "good guys", according to Naruto, and the big bad Kyuubi. Kushina, the salt shaker, shrieked mercilessly at the Kyuubi toy, treating the large "demon" like a dog. Minato sat atop Gambunta and did "lots of supper cool jutsus" to help tame the wild demon.

Harry had to stop several times and laugh silently into the couch, Naruto's imagination was too…too precious. At the end, Kushina and Minato had tamed the wild demon and now the salt shaker was riding atop the fox plushy. Harry could only imagine the storm Kyuubi was making behind his bars.

"So, why didn't Cousin Minato kill Kyuubi?" Harry asked the toddler.

"Bun-bun say Kyuu too strong!" when did this conversation occur, and if that summons told Naruto what he was- Harry was going to retrace his steps to Mount Myōboku and kick that boss toad's ass. Harry still wasn't sure if Naruto knowing what he was so young would be a good thing or not.

"What else did Gambunta-sama say?" the happy child did not hear the strained edge to Harry's words, content with making his fox toy dance now that the shaker was off of it.

"Daddy put Kyuu in cage," Naruto stated absentmindedly, now making the toad and fox dance together while he spun around merrily.

Harry sighed in relief, laying back into the couch and closing his eyes tiredly. He was exhausted already. How were they going to do this? Being around such exuberance was draining, and trying to interrupt the boy's rapid and childish speech was so tiresome.

"Nii!" Harry's eyes opened immediately, "teach me cool ninja moves," maybe that would keep the toddler busy enough for Harry to nap. Rolling onto his back, Harry peered out the window of their apartment, there just so happened to be a tree brushing against the side of the complex.

In a blur Harry got up, opened the window, plucked a few leaves from the tree, and closed the window again; fire country summers were sweltering and the air-conditioning was on, so the boy really didn't want to waste energy.

"Most, if not all, ninja skills can be mastered through having good chakra control," Harry stepped off the couch so he could sit back on it without jolting into position.

Naruto was wide eyed and silent, as he scrambled onto the couch, Harry laughed as he helped the little boy up and onto his lap.

"Chakra comes from inside all of us, even civilians have some chakra. . But ninja train that chakra so it grows and they practically glow with it. Maybe someday you'll be able to see chakra like Cousin Minato and I can," Naruto was practically vibrating in his excitement.

"Chakra is like your life force; it is a combination of physical and spiritual energy" Harry continued, "If you use too much you can fall into a coma or even die," Naruto tensed, fear started to seep into his cerulean eyes. "One of the first techniques you should learn to control your chakra is the leaf method. You stick a leaf to your forehead and circulate your chakra to keep it in place," Harry stuck one leaf over his scar, without thinking Harry kept it in place with chakra.

"If you use too much chakra to keep it there, the leaf will burn up," putting more chakra to the skin of his forehead, the leaf began to shrivel up and ash drifted down onto Naruto's face. "If you use too little chakra, the leaf falls off," Harry then demonstrated that, the leaf sticking to his forehead before reducing the amount of chakra he kept it there with. The leaf lazily drifted down and onto Naruto's head.

Naruto tried to look at his forehead, a small awed sound escaped his lips as he brought his hand up to touch the leaf. "Once that's mastered you can move onto walking on walls and ceilings," Naruto gasped, his big blue eyes were practically popping out of his head. "After that, one can learn to walk on water,"

For once the child was silent; he just stared down at the leaf in amazement, his young mind trying to understand how all of this was possible. What did chakra feel like? How did he bring it to his skin? When did one develop this chakra? So many questions whirled around in the little boy's mind, and before the boy knew it, he tired himself out and quickly fell to sleep with his mind racing.

With a relieved sigh, Harry fell back onto the couch and snuggled up with Naruto. The boy should be out for a few hours, the concept probably stunned the toddler into unconsciousness. He hoped he wasn't moving too fast with the boy, though Harryw as certain he had been trained in the same things when he was Naruto's age…then again he wasn't sure. Perhaps he was going through things too fast…but at least the exuberant child was now asleep. Smiling, Harry got his much needed sleep.

It felt like only a few moments had passed when Harry was awoken by a presence pushing against Harry's wards. Glaring at the back of the couch, Harry listened to the noises in the flat; Naruto's breathing indicated he was awake, but he was very still. The angle of the light filtering into the room indicated it was late afternoon and he had gotten at least a few hours of sleep. There was also a human shadow distorting the light from the window above them, and Naruto whimpered fearfully against Harry's chest.

Sitting up and bringing the young child into his lap, Harry glared at the person crouching on the window ledge. The seal let the person in due to the underlying Konoha chakra, but it woke Harry up in the process.

"How did you do that?" Harry's tired mind quickly recognized the voice and shifted Naruto into a more protective hold.

"I mimicked what you did to that building during the Kyuubi attack," the deer masked ANBU casually entered the apartment while looking around with disinterest.

"How?" did Harry hear a panicked ring in his father's voice?

"I can copy chakra flow patterns so why not copy the way that other energy is used?" the minute tensing of his father's arm did not slip past the eight-year-old. "You know what that energy is, right?" Harry took an anxious step forward, perhaps he'd finally get the answers as to what he was; however, Naruto's fearful whimpering caused him to pause.

"I was going to teach you how to use that when you were elven," but that didn't explain what the energy was. Harry started to slip into his father's mind but immediately regretted the action as he was brought to a burned cottage. He was in a nursery, a nursery he remembered from the memories the bad man gave him. Most of the room was scorched; there were holes in the wall leading to a smoke filled starry night. The only thing really intact was a small crib and the charmed mobile spinning above it.

James was standing in center of the burned nursery and glaring at his son, "Get out," Harry flinched and took a step back, his foot falling through a hole in the floor.

"What kind of energy is it?"

"I refuse to tell you," James growled back. Harry suddenly felt his mind being hurtled out of the morbid mindscape and back into his own.

"I would never do that again if I were you," James threatened in his monotone as he loomed over Harry and Naruto.

"He scary!" Naruto wailed as his pudgy hands were curled tightly into Harry's thin shirt.

There was a tense silence where James stared down at the two. The tense silence began to turn awkward as the two operatives faced each other and Naruto stopped his cowering. "Does he want to be a ninja?" James finally asked, almost as if he wanted to end the awkward and tense silence.

"Despite what you or the Council may want, Naruto's going to be a child before a ninja," the older ANBU made a derisive sound at the back of his throat, shaking his head slowly.

"Good luck with that," James had his arms casually crossed over his chest, "The villagers are already feeding their children lies about him," James began as he started to circle around them, "they tell them that you and Kakashi are evil ninja that enjoy killing other children, and that you're raising Naruto to be like that too."

Harry could feel Naruto shaking in his arms, but the young operative was shaken too. He felt as if ice was sliding down his back. He tried to glare defiantly back at James as the man casually circled around them.

"If they aren't saying that, they're telling their children that since you two lived with Jiraiya-san for so long, you're both heathens and degenerates," James seemed to be enjoying himself, watching the two young children trembling as he prowled around them like a predator. He wanted to make sure Harry knew none of them would have a normal life; that no matter how hard Harry tired, Naruto would be viewed as a demon or unwanted, "But perhaps the most popular story, is that your little makeshift family is spying on Konoha and that you're all betrayers just waiting for Konoha to fall,"

Harry straightened, his expression hardening like stone, "Get out," the eight-year-old's throat felt constricted as a cold lump settled into his stomach.

"You know the moment Naruto steps outside, the civilians will try to hurt him," Naruto whimpered pitifully, fat tears were already soaking Harry's shirt and mucus began to accumulate there too.

"Get out before I make sure you can never enter this building again," Harry's eyes were stinging but her refused to cry.

"The only reason I came here was to make sure you train before you go to work. Since you are on patrol duty you must keep your skills at top condition, it is easy to slack off when delegated such a simple task," Harry's green eyes narrowed at his father, he was going to tell him to leave again, but James's following words clamped the boy's mouth shut, "You need to be strong, not just for yourself and Konoha, but for Naruto too."

Harry looked away from his father. Naruto was still a trembling and crying mess in his arms. "I can't leave him alone," Harry whispered while Naruto began to hiccup from his crying.

"Use a few clones. If you're needed, have one disperse. That's what I did with you when I had work at the T & I department," Harry nodded slightly, looking at the fearful child clutching him.

"We haven't had lunch," Harry whispered as his focus shifted to the kitchen.

"Make him something and grab something light for yourself, we'll work on your mental resistance while you digest," James had a feeling this would take a while and so sat down, but he was prepared to jump in and help his son if the child was incapable of cooking. Harry somehow managed to make a sandwich with one hand since Naruto refused to let go of him.

Gently, the eight-year-old coaxed the little boy to nibble on his lunch, his blue eyes still letting tears slip out. Harry ate a few clumps of leftover rice from breakfast while Naruto ate his sandwich slowly. "Naruto, I'm going to leave some clones to look after you, okay? If you're still hungry tell one and it will go get fruit from the market, okay?" Naruto nodded shakily while hiding from the scary ANBU who watched them in mild amusement.

"Naruto, you need to let go of me," the blonde let go of his lunch, and if not for Harry's reflexes it would have splattered onto the floor.

"No!"

James stood from his perch and moved toward the window, "He's at the point in his life where he's afraid of strangers, and he still has some separation anxiety," James used an informative tone as he spoke to the eight-year-old, "I'll wait outside, but keep in mind I'll know if you sent a clone,"

With James gone, Naruto loosened his hold on Harry and let himself be set down in his highchair. Focusing on the specific duties of his clones, namely playing with Naruto and making sure the boy did not hurt himself, Harry created four shadow clones.

"Nii, teach me that!?" though it was phrased like a demand, the toddler rose his voice at the end, thus making his intention known.

"When you're a Genin," every Harry stated, before the real one left via the window.

James was leaning against the tree near the window, arms casually folded across his bone armor. Nodding, the real Harry followed his father to his old home.

…

Harry rolled onto his stomach. Sweat drenched the hairs at the base of his neck and dripped from the end of his pony-tail. His chest was heaving from all of the crunches he did. His father had long since returned to work, but told him to complete a mild (in comparison) yet rigorous training agenda. After Harry's mental defenses were tried and pushed to their limits, James had to leave for his next shift at the T & I department.

Harry had completed four hundred pushups, ran around the village fifty times and had just finished eight hundred crunches. He was exhausted. His body ached in places he didn't know it could ache. The running had been, by the far, the easiest part of the day for he was a speed based person. Harry glared at the setting sun as he forced himself to sit up, wincing at the strain on his sore abdominal muscles.

The boy stretched slightly before he got up and ran home with his legs feeling a little wobbly. He had around a half hour until he needed to be at work, seeing as the sun set rather late during the summer.

Harry paused at the window leading to his flat, smoke was curling out of it, "Kakashi tried to cook," Harry looked up at the clone on the roof, "We weren't ordered to cook so…" the clone Harry bowed its head slightly before the real Harry dispersed it.

"Step away from the stove," Harry droned as he hurried inside, relieved that Naruto was playing on the floor below all of the smoke. Kakashi jumped away from the appliance like it was on fire, which it partly was, "get the fire extinguisher from the hallway," Harry ordered as he pulled the charred skillet and meat away from the stove top.

Kakashi hurried through the entrance, which his chakra had been added to, and returned with the extinguisher. They both knew not to use water techniques on the appliance, unless they wanted to buy a new one, which they didn't.

"I have work soon, so why don't you two go to—"

"Ichi-ru's" Naruto shrieked and consequently interrupted Harry.

"No, why don't you go to the Akemichi restaurant," Naruto immediately deflated, "I don't think they would deny service to you two," Harry added as he began rummaging through the cabinets for something to eat. Sighing, the eight-year-old settled on energy bars, storing a few in his hip-pouch to eat later.

"You heard him Naruto," Kakashi stated cheerfully as he pulled the child up and into his arms once the smoke cleared.

"But it not ramen!" Naruto whined, making his kicked puppy face.

"You can resist it Kakashi-san," Harry joked between bites of his rather pathetic dinner.

"It's so hard," the teen joked in return, making a grimace while he shakily held the child away from him.

"Take him to Ichikaru's and I'll make you teach him how to use the toilet," Kakashi's expression became stone faced and he brought the child back into his arms. Naruto giggled slightly at the change in expression on his older guardian's mostly covered face, and he quickly wrapped his pudgy arms around Kakashi's neck.

"Understood," Kakashi gave a militant nod before moving toward the window while Harry made his way toward the bedroom, "Have fun at work," he called, a teasing tone laced into his words; after all, patrol duty was the most boring job a ninja could have.

…

Months passed where Harry would come home when Kakashi and Naruto were still asleep. He'd crawl into bed, not even bothering to take off his ANBU gear, though he would set his mask off to side. While Harry slept, Kakashi would get up and move the still sleeping Naruto to Harry's bed, otherwise the toddler would wake up and start crying. After that point, the teen would go off to stare at the memorial stone for a little while (roughly two hours). Sometimes he'd make it back for breakfast, courtesy of Harry.

Harry would make a clone to watch Naruto while he took a nap on the couch, after having showered and changed out of his ANBU clothes. If Kakashi came to breakfast, he usually got the blonde ready for the day before taking off for the mission's office. Kakashi was mostly given close to home missions or in the village missions, for the Hokage was being courteous of the fact he had a child to take care of.

Around noon, Harry would wake up and make Naruto lunch and play with him a little. After digesting he would make more clones and head out to do some light training. This mostly consisted of running, and running, and the occasional visit from his father.

Unlike the first day, Harry would make sure he was home in time to make dinner and keep Kakashi from setting the building on fire. After an hour of catching up with Kakashi, Harry would change and go to work. Patrolling was boring, but gave Harry an opportunity to test his ability at sensing energies.

There was very little traffic during the night watch, though he had stopped a few rogues and bandits in the first month he was put on patrol duty. He saw them coming from a couple kilometers away, telling the other guards of the approaching people and explaining he would scout ahead. He would expertly hide and when they came within range for him to infiltrate their minds, the boy would discover their intentions. Depending on the reasons the people approached, the child would jump down and incapacitate them before explaining the situation to the guards back on watch.

Other than that, it was usually ANBU returning from an out of country mission or the occasional lower ranking Konoha team that got back late. Boring, horrifically boring! As fall approached, Harry's shifts became longer and all the more dull. The kid was looking forward to Naruto's birthday, he even had the perfect present picked out for the two-year-old!

Cracking his neck as he leaned against the village wall, Harry sensed an energy coming from behind him—from the village. Curiously, the person had no underlying chakra identifying their nationality. Harry touched the intercom button on his headset.

"Operative Karasu," Harry stated as a way to ensure the other operatives knew who was talking and from what sector on the wall he was at, "Unknown chakra signature coming from the village heading for West, sector seven," there was a crackling of static before Harry received a response.

"Operative Kuma," the person on the other end spoke, "I will take over your sector while you investigate," Kuma…he was stationed on sector two of the North wall. Curious, why would he come all the way to Harry's sector?

"Kuma, Operative Ookami," another ANBU spoke over the headset, "I am stationed in sector six of the West wall,"

"Ookami, I was released from duty, Operative Saru took over my post," Kuma replied to Ookami's crackling comment.

"Operative Saru, it's true, Operative Kuma just got off duty," said the monkey masked operative from sector two of the North wall.

"Operative Karasu, unknown is less than one kilometer away, prepared to investigate," honestly, if no one reminded the operatives of the matter at hand, they would completely forget about it due to their incessant talking.

"Operative Kuma," Kuma began, Harry could see a Konoha chakra approaching quickly, "nearing West sector seven. Operative Karasu should investigate"

"On it," Harry could see a bear masked ANBU reaching his sector. Giving a nod to the man, the child raced off for the unknown.

Pumping chakra into his feet, the boy bounded from one tree to one rooftop, making it to the unknown signature in a matter of seconds. Harry skidded to a halt, a kunai in hand but hidden by his arm.

"Why are you heading to the wall?" a shadowy figure stopped running at the childish voice. The figure then moved into the light of a street lamp, it was a small girl, perhaps a little older than Harry.

"My Dad, he's alive but no one believes me!" a girl cried, "ANBU-san, please, I have to get out there, I have to find him!" she exclaimed, her large brown eyes were fearful, fearful for her father's safety.

Harry slipped into her mind with unsettling ease. She had been brought to village after a bandit raid on one of the outlying Konoha villages and was living in a refugee house. Her father was a retired shinobi from Amegakure and had been training her and a few of the other children in village until the raid. Most of the kids were killed and her father was also believed to be dead. Her name was Rai, and she truly believed her father alive. She had not gone to the academy and so knew no Konoha secrets.

"You should go back to the House, Rai-san," the girl backed up slightly, alarmed that he knew her name, "In the morning come to the mission's office and I am sure a search mission can be set up,"

"But he's dying, I know it, I have to find him now!" Harry shook his head, to the girl's persistent cries. He felt really bad denying her, despite everything his father had done, Harry would still go out to look for him if James went MIA.

"I'll escort you back to your home and I will record this event in my report. I will also strongly suggest a search mission," Harry moved toward the girl, sliding his kunai back in his pouch, she wasn't going to cause any problems.

Turning the older girl around, Harry tapped his intercom, "Operative Karasu, unknown identified as Rai from the Refugee House, I am returning her now and will take back up my post in a few minutes," there were a few affirmative noises sent over the headsets.

When Harry was part way to the House, he started to feel light headed, there was moisture in the air, in fact, it started to drizzle. Keeping his eyes trained on the girl became steadily more difficult. As his eyes began to droop closed and his body became numb, he could see an unknown energy dancing in the air, falling all around him. It looked like the girl's energy…

"Father will be proud of me," Harry wasn't sure if the girl said this aloud or if he was hearing her thoughts, but either way the boy quickly succumbed to unconsciousness.

…

"Karasu?" Kakashi blearily looked around the apartment, not seeing a head of midnight hair on the bedroll across from him. Naruto was curled securely to Kakashi's chest, making the Jounin hesitant to sit up. Where was his friend?

Gently sitting up, Kakashi made sure to keep Naruto in his current position before Kakashi beginning to stand up. Perhaps Harry was already making breakfast? It was a few hours past sunrise… But upon leaving the bedroom there was no sign of Harry in the other rooms of the apartment. Biting his thumb, Kakashi summoned his Ninken and ordered them to search for Harry, maybe the boy was still on duty or there was an incident and he had to report to the Hokage…

Keeping his panic at bay, he gave the dogs one of Harry's shirts to smell him out. He really hopped Harry was just caught up with something and Kakashi was making things out to be more than they were.

"mmmm?" Kakashi smiled down at the waking blonde in his arms.

"Good morning," he whispered, not wanting to fully wake the child. He enjoyed the moments when the toddler was silent. Naruto mumbled something incoherent, burrowing his face into Kakashi's chest.

Kakashi continued to pad around the living room in his pajama bottoms, mask, and headband. He was supposed to meet the fall academy graduates today, so he was in **absolutely** no rush to get dressed. He could spend another ten or so hours with Naruto while he let his wanna-be Genin team sweat. He enjoyed being late, it meant there was less pressure on him, something he rarely experienced as a child. He had always felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders due to all the pressure he received from his father and the academy teachers…

"Mmm?" Naruto finally pulled his head away from Kakashi's chest. The little boy looked around in confusion, "Where Nii?" the little blonde had an adorable pout distorting his face, one which caused Kakashi to eye-smile.

"I'm not sure, perhaps he was held up at work?" Naruto nodded slowly, still drowsy from just waking up, "Pakkun and the others are looking for him," Kakashi stated as reassurance for them both.

"'m hungry," mumbled Naruto, nuzzling his face into the crook of Kakashi's neck. Apparently it was still too early for him. Kakashi chuckled softly as he moved to seat himself on the couch.

A half hour passed with no ninken and no Harry… Naruto was now fully awake and seemed very confused, "Nii not make breakfast?" Naruto had his brow furrowed as he looked around the room, "Nii!? Niiiiiiiiiiiii" Kakashi's visible eye began to form a tick, and Naruto was quickly turning red.

"He's outside the walls," Kakashi turned to the gruff voice, Pakkun was panting in the dissipating smoke around him, but his appearance caused Naruto to cry in delight, thus stopping his yell of "Nii." The boy's pudgy hands clapped together and he stretched his hands out toward the talking pug.

"What?" Kakashi tried to hear what the dog said over Naruto's delighted cries. Kakashi's face was pale as he desperately hoped he heard the summon incorrectly. "Naruto, please be quiet," he tried to keep his voice soft, but the harsh edge to his words caused the little boy to quiet with tears in his eyes. "What did you say?"

"We followed his scent to a large river forty-five and sixty, definitely outside the walls. After that we couldn't smell him anymore," Kakashi's breathing quickened, his chest rising and falling rapidly in panic.

Naruto turned teary eyes to his 'eldest brother,' and his bottom lip began to tremble, "I'm sorry Kaka-nii! Don't be mad!" the little boy wailed into Kakashi's rapidly moving chest.

"I'm not mad at you, I'm worried about Karasu…" he wrapped his arms securely around crying blonde, his cobalt eye was trained on Pakkun, "Was there anyone else with him?" the dog seemed to frown as he thought over his answer.

"Just the scent of rain, nothing else," it did rain last night, didn't it? Kakashi shot up from the couch, causing Naruto to give a startled cry.

Without bothering to put on shoes or a shirt, Kakashi raced out the window with little Naruto clinging to him like a lifeline as tears still streamed down his face.

The toddler had to wonder, what did he do? Was Kakashi mad at him? Where was his big brother? Did something happen to him? Naruto couldn't bear such a thought; his big brother was everything to him. Harry and Kakashi were Naruto's world. The boy just cried harder into Kakashi's chest, now certain the teenager was not mad at him, but mad that something happened to Harry. And Naruto was mad too, where was his big brother, what happened?

…

Kakashi landed on the Hokage's office window ledge, he tapped on the window, despite the fact that the old man was surrounded by ANBU. Sarutobi must have seen the look in Kakashi's eye since he waved the teen in. Kakashi was shaking in equal parts worry, fear, and anger.

"He's gone, I think he might have been kidnapped, he wouldn't just leave Naruto," Kakashi rushed out, pushing his way through the ring of rather irate ANBU.

"Are you talking about Operative Karasu?" a monkey masked ANBU growled, "that little defector never should have been—"

"He's not a defector," Kakashi interrupted. He was in front of the ANBU in a second with his headband pulled back and his Sharingan spinning wildly. Despite being a half foot shorter than the ANBU, the monkey masked man stepped back in alarm. However, Kakashi backed off when three different hands with kunai were point at his chest, more importantly, pointed at Naruto.

"Operative Saru," Hiruzen's tone was chiding as he addressed current object of Kakashi's rage, "we have no way of knowing if Operative Karasu did indeed defect, perhaps he was kidnapped as Hatake-kun suggests,"

Naruto was quietly whimpering against Kakashi's chest, he didn't like ANBU, unless they were Harry, but these ANBU were too big to be his big brother.

"Stand down you three," the ANBU operatives snapped to their Hokage's attention, and kunai were placed back in their respective pouches as they looked straight ahead. "When Operative Kuma awakens he will give his statement, then we will know if we need to send out a rescue party or start a man hunt," Kakashi and Sarutobi were not at all happy with the ANBU operatives around them.

"For now, all of you should return to your posts," the old man sent a cold glare at all of the surrounding ANBU, who all hopped to the order. When they were gone, Kakashi was about to leave too but the Hokage gestured toward one of the chairs in his office, "Sit down," he ordered.

Once they were seated he began speaking again but in a more pleasant tone, "Have either of you had breakfast?" As if cued, Naruto's stomach rumbled audibly.

"Nami-kun usually cooks," Kakashi sheepishly answered, flushing under his mask. Did he use the boy's new name? The Hokage knew Harry's identity so there shouldn't be a problem with Kakashi saying Karasu, but to be safe he had best use the nickname.

"Kaka-nii, your eye scary!" Naruto pulled away from Kakashi, his blue eyes zeroing in on Kakashi's Sharingan. At least Kakashi could finally understand what the little boy was saying, so if Harry really wasn't coming back…Kakashi mentally shook away those thoughts, focusing back on Naruto.

"I'm sorry about that Naruto," Kakashi slid down his headband, and he gave a soft eye-smile when the boy relaxed, "It was a gift from my teammates," he stated softly, a sad smile was hidden behind his mask, but Naruto's suddenly large smile made the Jounin feel better.

"Then I like it," the two were pulled from their moment by a deep chuckle, Sarutobi Hiruzen regarded the two with shining eyes, amusement clearly written on his face.

"Naruto-kun and Karasu-kun are doing you good, Hatake-kun," Sarutobi was so happy he could call Harry by a name finally, saying Namikaze-kun made his chest ache in a sad remembrance of his successor. When Minato succeeded him he had been looking forward to a long retirement, but it had come to an unfortunate end.

Though the fifteen-year-old wore a mask, the old man knew the teen was blushing. "No need to feel embarrassed, Hatake-kun," Sarutobi sighed in a satisfaction when a secretary came in with a tray of tea and rice balls.

Despite it not being Naruto's beloved ramen, the little boy reached out for one of the rice treats and quickly devoured it in his hunger. The secretary had to stifle a laugh at the adorable sight and remind herself that that was the demon child, though he looked too cute for words with the stray pieces of rice sticking to his chubby face.

"Perhaps you should bring another tray of food, I'm sure Hatake-kun is just as hungry," the woman bowed quickly and left, throwing glances behind her and trying to convince herself that that was the demon. However, the last glimpse of the child she got before the door closed was of Kakashi blowing on the little boy's tea and helping him drink it since Naruto's hands were too small. How…how cute! That can't be the fabled demon, but… She was torn as she hurried to get more rice balls from the staff room.

Naruto scrunched his nose up at the taste of the tea, but he could deal with it, after all, Kakashi and the old man were drinking it just fine. He really liked those rice things too, maybe when Harry was back, he could make Naruto them. But Naruto didn't know where his big brother was, in fact, Naruto was worried he might not even come home.

"Where Nii?" Naruto turned worried eyes onto the two older people in the room.

"We don't know," the old man with the funny beard had a sad look in his eyes, but he seemed nice too.

"Oh…" Naruto frowned as he looked down at the tray in front of him. Absently, he started to pick off some of the rice from the treats.

"Why is everyone waiting on this Kuma?" Kakashi asked after a long pause, the air was heavy due to Naruto's weak and sad monosyllable response.

"Apparently a child from the Refugee House was trying to find her father, and Operative Kuma took Operative Karasu's position while the boy investigated. All seemed well, except there is no one missing from the House and the child's name that Karasu gave was not in the register. This morning when the guards changed posts, Kuma was found unconscious and there was no Karasu," Kakashi swallowed some tea to calm his nerves, but it sloshed around in his stomach uneasily.

"What wrong?" Naruto was looking up at his guardian in bewilderment. He didn't understand the implications of the Hokage's words, but perhaps that was for the best.

Kakashi quickly wrapped his body protectively around Naruto. There had been a loud popping noise just behind him and he was damned if he'd let Naruto get hurt by any explosives. As for the Hokage? He was the Hokage, he could defend himself.

"Shika-san," the Hokage was still in his chair, seeming completely at ease with the loud and rather sudden appearance of the head of the T & I department. However, the old man's cordial greeting was cut off by the panicked ANBU's hands slamming against his desk.

"Where the hell is my son? What happened?" Naruto made a loud wail at the scary and loud voice, but James paid the child no mind, "Tell me, damn it!"

"Shika-san, calm yourself," the old man held an authoritative tone, thus silencing and seating the shaking ANBU, "Help yourself to some tea," it was not suggestion but an order. Glaring behind his mask, James leaned forward and took one of the spare cups and filled it with the herbal smelling liquid.

Holding the cup in his trembling hand, the wizard just inhaled, already feeling calmer due to the smell. Ah the powers of tea…at least this old man didn't lace it with any sort of calming draught as a certain Headmaster was prone to doing (only because said headmaster often needed it or the situation called for such measures). A lot of similarities between the two old men could be drawn; but now was not the time to dwell on such things.

Sarutobi had a small frown adorning his aged face; Naruto seemed so scared of James. "Shika-san, perhaps you should take off your mask, Naruto-kun seems awfully frightened," throwing one last glare at the Hokage and one glare at the demon brat, James took of his dear deer mask. The child calmed immediately, removing himself from his hiding spot in Kakashi's arms.

Kakashi, however, continued to eye the ANBU operative warily. Thankfully the teen held his tongue, though the Hokage could guess some of the things the teen was dying to say.

With a sigh, the old man began to explain the situation to James, watching as the man's grip on the teacup grew steadily tighter. If Harry was kidnapped, which the Sandiame believed to be very likely, the boy's kidnappers were in for hell when James got a hold of them.

…

Waking up in a blood encrusted room chained to a metal bolted chair with a searing headache, was something Harry did not want to experience again for at least a few more years. However, as luck would have it, a repeat performance occurred not even three months later.

Harry quickly became aware of the fact that his mask was gone and his body was soaked. At least his captors changed him into dry clothes. Well, his sopping wet hair was quick to drench the back of the rough cotton tee-shirt he found himself in. The boy had no weapons, his hair tie, which contained a few senbon, was missing and the chains were chakra suppressing…hell they were absorbing his chakra!

As per protocol, Harry had tried to flare his chakra for help. That was when he realized the absorbing part of the chains. Banging his head back against the backrest, the chair being made for someone much taller, Harry sighed at his misfortune. He would bite his own tongue off if need be, though he doubted they would break him.

Shivering against the metal chair and beads of water still dripping off his body, the boy wondered how he came to be in this position. Nothing in the girl's mind, at least what he saw, suggested such malicious intentions. Everything she had told him was true, yet here he was with a throbbing headache and in a torture room.

With a derisive laugh—one which lasted a second—Harry could hear his father's words replaying in his mind. "You will also not be the only child fighting, you may have to kill other children," and here he was captured by another child. He wondered what happened to the guard, Kuma; was he alright? Did the little girl kill him? Did her friends on the outside help?

Harry was getting hungry, oh well, like he'd trust anything his captors gave him. Quickly becoming bored, the boy closed his eyes and tried to sense out the energies around him, there was a guard outside the door, and three people were further down the hall. It looked like there were chakras above him, fifteen if he counted right. They were all mid-range to high level chakra readings. Most of the people had an unknown nationality to their chakra, similar to the girl…speaking of which. The girl was one of the mid-range chakra levels in the hall, and she was coming toward him.

Rai must have suppressed her chakra when she was running toward the wall, but she gave off enough to alert attention to herself. How did she even knock him out? Harry remembered the drizzle that started up suddenly…there was the girl's chakra in the rain; perhaps it was a technique her father taught her? Speaking of which, there was a stronger chakra next to the girl and it held the underlying sense of an Amegakure native.

Time to meet the parents.

What did that saying even mean…? He remembered Minato saying that to Kakashi when a kunoichi had a crush on the teen and he protected her from getting hurt from her own stupidity. He was bored already, and his thoughts were a testament to this.

But at least his captor, her father, and his interrogator (Harry wasn't so sure on the last one, for they could all easily be that) finally entered the room. Stimulation at last!

"Good evening ANBU-san," the girl had a sickly sweet smile in place, and her voice oozed sweetness like molasses. Was molasses sweet, Harry recalled his father eating it once, saying it was basically just sugar, the sap of the sugar cane or something, but Harry wasn't allowed to have it.

The sound of skin striking skin resounded in the room, as Harry's face began to burn and sting.

Harry kept in his surprised scream even though his brain was still sloshing around from the backhand. Well, that taught him not to let his thoughts get away from him. No more debating about what molasses was, but what was it? Harry gritted his teeth as he was struck again, no more thinking about molasses!

Harry turned his face toward his captors, noting that the girl's father was likely to be his torturer, but what was with the creepy man beside him? The boy quickly reminded himself not to let his thoughts distract him, and remained focused on the burly man in front of him.

Raising an aristocratic eyebrow, Harry droned, "May I help you?"

"Spill everything you know about Konoha's safety measures, the ANBU tower codes, every rotation schedule—" the father, who Harry learned, via mind snooping, was named Ru growled in a low voice as he loomed over the eight-year-old.

"Whether they think I defected or was kidnapped, all of the things you mentioned will have changed by now, try something else?" his interruption was met with another heavy blow to his head, causing him to lose more of his baby teeth. Maybe he should have Naruto get into fights when his teeth came loose? It was rather effective, but no, Naruto was to live a normal childhood.

"You cheeky little shit," Ru practically screamed, he had his hand pulled back for another go, but Rai stepped in.

"Very well, what are the identities of your fellow ANBU?" Harry shrugged, Rai let her father punch him, this time in the gut, "Let's try that again, what are their identities?" another shrug, another punch. This went on for an indefinable amount of time, though Harry didn't mind the punches so much, they were nothing in comparison to the mental attacks he had been subjected to and he could brace his stomach muscles for the abuse.

"See, I am needed?" the creepy man, who until now had been leaning against the far wall, draped an arm around Ru, a sadistic smile touched his pale features. "Someone has already put him through torture training, now stand aside." Harry did not like the tone the man used; it sent shivers down the boy's spine.

"Just remember to ask him questions," Ru ordered, reluctantly letting the other man do as he pleased. "Speak clearly kid, so that the tapes can hear you," Ru joked as he lead his daughter out of the room and left Harry alone with the pale, willowy man.

"You can call me Shinigami, Shini for short," the sordid man began to circle around Harry, every now and then his cool fingers would graze against the boy's arm or swelling cheek.

"You have lovely hands," Shini commented, stopping his stalking to lean over the back of the chair to grasp the boy's left hand, "Well-manicured even," Harry knew what was coming, he could see the vile man's thought process. Without putting much thought into his actions, Shini reached inside a pocket and retrieved pliers. Harry read his absentminded thoughts as well as heard the rustling of fabric as Shini took out his chosen utensil.

"Why don't you tell me who guards the Hokage?" the pliers were set before Harry's hand, pinching onto his index finger's nail on his left hand. The boy's heart was beating quickly; still unsure whether knowing his captor's next move was a good thing or a bad thing. Steeling his mind, Harry gave his answer.

"I don't know," the boy flung his head back and bit his lip savagely to keep from screaming. The pain ricocheted up from that poor finger and into Harry's brain faster than he thought possible. His nerves sent messages down to his stomach in a matter of seconds; they were screaming that it was too much! Before Harry knew it, he was retching onto the ground in front of him.

When Harry was done retching, Shini crouched down in front of him, the bloody pliers being waved back and forth, "Want to answer that question again?"

"I don't know," Harry gasped, head still bowed forward from his previous actions. The same finger was grasped tightly and pulled back, Harry bit through his lip as the poor digit cracked under the pressure. Why did it hurt so much? Harry had broken bones before, but this hurt so much more.

"Why don't we try a different question, hmm?"

…

Operative Kuma awoke to a crying child, a worried yet murderous looking teen, and an even more murderous looking ANBU operative wearing a deer mask. The Hokage and an official recorder were off to the side. Despite that the Hokage was smiling pleasantly, Kuma felt his stomach drop.

"Do you remember what happened last night?" the official scribe asked as he moved to sit next to the disoriented ANBU operative.

"Uh…I got off my shift around two and was heading home,"

"Where is your home located?" the scribe and Hokage shot James warning looks. The professional interrogator scowled behind his deer mask as he folded his arms over his chest. He was seeking the truth from the man; he didn't care if the scribe had problems with his methods.

"The west side of the village, near sector ten," there was a confused edge to Kuma's voice, showing that he did not understand why he was being interrogated.

"Forgive Operative Shika, he is personally connected to this incident, and is reacting in a rather unprofessional way," the old man had that blasted smile in place, one James likened to Dumbledore, though at least he knew the Hokage was only following protocol and felt similarly to James and Kakashi.

"Oh…um..." Kuma's focus darted back to the scribe, "I heard Operative Karasu explain that an unknown chakra was heading toward the gate, sector seven. I offered to take his place since Operative Saru relieved me and this way no sector was unguarded," the official was writing quickly onto his parchment.

"And did Operative Karasu seem hurried or disappointed that a relieved officer was taking his post," the scribe's voice was a poor attempt at sounding neutral, for there was an almost excited edge in his tone.

"Now wait a minute," "How can you imply that?" Kakashi and James looked away from each other quickly, having both spoken up at the same time. Naruto continued to hide himself, the deer mask and bear mask were scaring him...

"I don't know…maybe he was hurried. He told us the current position of the unknown while we were still figuring out who would take his post," the scribe just nodded while jotting something down; the official was practically screaming his thoughts, all of them circling around how Harry was a defector.

"And after that?" James's fists were clenched in their folded position, he was going to do something to this scribe, maybe shove that writing utensil up somewhere where it wasn't so nice. Or perhaps he could cast an itching jinx on the prejudiced… James took a deep breath, having missed the majority of what the injured operative said while he mentally schemed.

"He nodded to me when I took his post, after a few minutes he told us that Rai from the Refugee House was the unknown and he was escorting her back. I waited for fifteen minutes and didn't see the kid or feel any chakra around me, and then…nothing," James redirected his attention back to the man at this point, "I don't remember anything else, I must have been snuck up on and knocked out," the man was snuck up on and knocked out, at least according to his memories.

This really did not bode well for them; everyone in the room knew this. To the Council and to village, it would look like Harry defected. Out of the whole of Konoha, only four people continued to believe otherwise. Harry would never defect, but so far, the evidence was stacked against them.

When Kuma was finally let alone, he sighed and relaxed against the bed, soon, soon he'd have his revenge on this stupid country. He just had to wait for the kid to break, if Ru couldn't do it with a little pain, then Shini would, no matter the cost. He knew Operative Karasu would be a good pick, half the village already believed he was defector, and he was a kid—despite being an ANBU operative he was still young and inexperienced, he'd break easily enough.

…

Harry was floating, it felt heavenly. There was no pain, just a fuzzy blackness. He felt like he was wrapped in a tight cool cocoon, one which soothed the fire burning in his fingers. All of them were broken now, and all of them were missing nails. Shini started on his toes, breaking each one before smashing his instep to—what Harry believed to be—dust. That was when he passed out, that was when this darkness wrapped him so securely. He had yet to spill anything, even when Shini asked him about the Council, namely the three people he hated most in Konoha; Harry did not betray his loyalties.

Though, for some reason, Harry suddenly found that he couldn't breathe. In fact, it felt much cooler now, icy even. Opening his eyes, Harry found himself staring into a metal bucket, one filled with ice and water. Water was already rushing down his throat; he jerked and shook his head. With water already in his lungs he could not close his mouth, and could not breathe!

The forceful push of water down his throat suddenly ceased, there was air. He hacked, and coughed and gasped for breath. They were going to dunk him again should he not answer their questions; it would be the death of him if he didn't get his breathing down.

"Who is the Kyuubi vessel?" Harry jerked his head against Shini's hand, showing him he had something to say. The hand in his hair pulled him up roughly.

"I know that one," he gasped, dragging in air, while forcing his heart rate to slow, which also meant getting his breathing back under control.

"And?" Shini asked testily. Harry's pulse was slowing down as he accumulated air into his lungs.

"Not telling" Harry was immediately dunked, but he waited it out, his heart rate slow to keep his need for oxygen at bay for a few minutes more. He let out calculated bubbles of stale air until Shini believed he had killed the kid. Harry was brought up with a smirk on his face, sneaking fresh air into his lungs before he was plunged back into the mind chilling water.

This continued for a while, Harry had no sense of time in this place, but that didn't matter. This was like a test, yes a test of his abilities, his resistance to pain.

"Shini, that's enough," it was Rai's voice, stern and strong for a change. The creepy man was about to dunk Harry under again when she came in. Instead of doing what he intended, he smashed the boy's head against the dull metal rim of the bucket, consequently sending ice water all over the boy.

Rai was lifting his face up, her face distorted in false concern. Shini was scowling at the back wall again, clearly not happy that his fun was put on pause.

"Look what you did," she admonished, tilting Harry's head sideways for better light, "that will need stitches," she exclaimed, referring to the new gash in the eight-year-old's forehead. Blood was already sliding down into his emerald eyes.

Rai 'tsk'ed. She slowly fished out a needle from her person, along with some metal thread. "Do you have anything to heat this with? For sanitation purposes?" she asked in her mockingly sweet voice while she threaded the needle. Shini's smile was back, the one that screamed the level of joy he received in seeing others bleed.

"Why yes I do," Harry's attention was drawn to a black bag resting on the interrogation table, Shini as rummaging through it before he pulled out what looked like a blow torch. Hmm…what would he use that for, Harry wondered. Oh torture, of course.

Rai had heat resistant gloves on while she worked on making the needle glow red. Shini was currently securing Harry's head to the back of the chair. Taking a deep breath, Harry prepared himself for the incoming pain as Rai approached him with the hissing needle.

As the needle broke skin, Harry screamed and he kept screaming.

…

The man hunt had begun, and James was forced to stay behind to interrogate thieves and degenerates. But he understood why, they didn't want him going rogue with his son, they didn't want him protecting a defector. So James stewed, but kept his senses open for any accidental magic Harry might produce during his distress. But he was not the only one forced to continue living like nothing happened.

Kakashi had to deal with his Fall Genin team, or would-be Genin team. Naruto was firmly attached to his hip while he glared down at the little pests. He made them wait three hours before he arrived at the school. After introductions, during which Naruto was uncharacteristically quiet, perhaps he understood he would not be seeing Harry again, he sent them on their way. But that was yesterday and today he was going to take out his anger on something and he didn't care what.

The three little Genin stood no chance. Kakashi schooled them, with one arm since the other was holding a soon-to-be two year old. He verbally obliterated them, calling them scum for abandoning one another, when if they had worked together they could have succeeded. He shouted out what sorry excuses for shinobi they were. They bowed their heads in shame and would never lift another kunai in their lives. Instead of being shinobi, the three defeated Genin went back to their family shops and would do their best to protect the store and help the family business.

As it was with the night before, Kakashi and Naruto sat in silence in their apartment. Kakashi attempted to cook, but ended up making instant ramen. Naruto hardly ate. Kakashi cleaned the boy up and when it came time to read a bedtime story, the boy just shook his head. He curled up against Kakashi, and cried himself to sleep. Just as the night before. Kakashi tried his best to cheer the child up, but his efforts were in vain.

After a week, it seemed only a miracle would turn things around. Naruto's birthday came finally, it was hollow for them but the streets were filled with joyous debauchery. People sang praises of the Kyuubi's "death," and countless drunks—ninja and civilian a like—tried to break into their house. Thank god for Harry's barriers and all of their attackers' drunkenness. The barriers over the windows were set so one would have to take off the seal; only high ranking **sober** Jōnin and any **sober** ANBU could break through. Thankfully all the ninja that tried were inebriated.

Kakashi sat on the complex's rooftop with Naruto in the light of the moon, the streets were quiet now, and it was just the star filled sky and them. Numbly Naruto pointed to a shooting star, "What's that?" he whispered as his quick eyes caught sight of another one.

"A shooting star," Kakashi whispered in return, and bent his head down to whisper into two-year-old's ear, "Close your eyes and make a wish, but don't tell me what it is, okay?" Naruto nodded, and closed his heavy eyes.

With every part of him he wished for his brother to return, to come home and be with them again. He wished and wished; his brow furrowed in his concentration. He just wanted his big brother back. He wanted his family whole again.

…

All but one limb was broken, that being his left arm; the one with IVs stuck in it. It was the only way he was still alive, they forced him nutrients through those tubes, and they gave him adrenaline to keep him awake trough the same means. Harry smelled. He felt disgusting and weak. His baths consisted of dunks in ice water, and his bathroom breaks were laxatives forced down his throat and him being carried to a toilet, other than that he soiled himself. He was strapped to a chair in his own filth.

The bottoms of his feet became good friends with the blow torch, and the boy now had a deep seated hate for sutures. Harry was certain the majority of his ribs were broken by this point, which made the water torture lethal. He had already been resuscitated three times in his last session. The only thing Harry found joy in was scaring his torturers with the knowledge he procured about their lives. Any reprieve from the torture, even a minute one, he would exploit with his insight.

But he was growing weak, and he was certain he would die soon. Shini came in, Ru was behind him.

"It's been a week, why hasn't he talked?" did they think him too delirious from his current fever to hear them?

"Ru, Ru, Ru" Ru clearly did not like the informality with which Shini spoke, if Harry discerned the man's facial expression correctly. "I say we get him hooked,"

Ru's expression lit up, "Of course, then we can sell him once we get all his secrets,"

Hooked? What were they talking about; Harry could only see images of a syringe, and some powder being melted in a spoon. What was that, what were they going to do? He was genuinely afraid now, they both felt so confident in this new method of obtaining information.

"Do you think I can have him?" Shini's voice held something in it, something that made Harry shudder, "he's so resilient to all my tricks…and he's so young," the man gushed as he moved closer to the feverish child. He gently lifted up the bruised and bloodied face. Harry didn't want to know what Shini was thinking, what with the way his eyes clouded over.

"You're disgusting," Ru spat out from the doorway, "But fine, you can have him," the misty look left and a predatory gleam took over. "No touching until we get our answers," Ru added in a threatening tone, Shini deflated at this, but his hold on Harry's battered face tightened.

"Fine," there was such venom in the creepy man's voice, "But how long do I have to wait," Shini all but whined.

"We can have a batch in by tomorrow," Ru jerked his head, meaning for the man to follow him; however Shini did not move toward the door. Instead he crouched down to eye level.

"Soon you will be too broken to even fix," Shini exclaimed, a happy smile in place as stroked the boy's face. Cackling to himself, the man left, leaving Ru to shudder along with Harry.

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><p><em><strong>A Suivre<strong>_

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><p><strong>AN:** Before anyone freaks out,** READ THE WARNINGS**, read them again, and again. The warnings are on-going so once something happens it stays with the warnings. Set your minds at ease, and that's all I'm going to say about that.

I'll see if I can get the next chapter out in a week or two. Classes are starting up, but after the next chapter it should be getting lighter, and Itachi will be coming in in a few more chapters. Thank you for reading ~ love, depressedchildren


	16. Chapter 11: The Trials of Shinobi

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own, nor do I gain anything (but writing and editing experience) by using the plot and characters from these works. Naruto and and the Harry Potter series belong to their respective creators, editors, publishers, and companies.

_**Summary:**_ They were all trying to escape, whether it was from fate, war, grief, abuse, hate. They were all trying to escape. There are many Harry Potter spoilers for those who have not read the books, and spoilers for the Naruto series as well. Warnings: violence, cross-dressing, swearing, silliness, torture, implied drug use.

**A/N:** I ended up re-writing the last part and I feel satisfied with it now, but please forgive errors, I was a little rushed. I want to get to Itachi because he is supposed to be the other main character… Oh and the fic does get lighter, I promise! In fact, it's a little fluffy at the end of this chapter, and Harry's kidnapping did have a purpose—I'm not just being mean for no reason! Finally, a lot of you are worried and I tried to imply last chapter that there will be no non-con! None whatsoever! The adults get their suggestive moments—as seen by Jiraiya—and the kids are going to have at the most hand holding and chaste kissing. I do have pairings decided, though it's a very minor part of the story and they won't come into play for many, many chapters; but feel free to guess. Anyways, thank you to all who reviewed, put this on alert or favorite. Enjoy! ~ much love, depressedchildren

Key:

_text_ is text

_levi corpus_ a known spell, usually a perversion of a Latin phrase

_"Dialogue" _the opposite language of the world they are in

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><p><em><strong>Chapitre Onze:<strong>_

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><p>James shot up from his seat. Ibiki regarded the older man in confusion as he left his room…with a prisoner still in there. Groaning, Ibiki moved out of the observation room and entered the interrogation room, composed. All the while he wondered what the hell had gotten into the deer masked ANBU.<p>

James had to hurry. He didn't care it was late, he didn't care that most normal human beings were fast asleep due to their heavy drinking earlier in the day. He just did not care, thus he made a bee line for the Hokage's home and ignored the now alert ANBU around him.

"Hokage-sama, he didn't defect!" the old man and his wife sprang up from their beds, both nearly having heart attacks. "He's sending out a distress signal, I can feel it!"

"What in the name of Konoha—"

James hastily cut the Hokage off, "He must be in chakra absorbing chains, or suppressing chains, maybe both!" the twenty-eight-year old's mind was racing, "But he's figured out how to flare his ma-other energy," Sarutobi's eyes widened in sudden understanding.

"Do you know the coordinates? Can you talk to him?" the Hokage waved his guards down.

"I can talk back but so far I only know the direction the signals are coming from," James heart was pounding in his throat, he was filled with an inexplicable joy.

"And you're certain he's not defecting," the old Hokage was just as anxious as the younger man was.

"If you could feel his fear…" that was the one thing keeping James from losing himself in this sudden high. "He's terrified, and weak,"

"Then we have no time to spare," Sarutobi regarded his guards, one by one, "Get the best assassins in ANBU, we have an operative to save,"

…

Heart pounding in his head, Harry wanted to scream. What were they going to do to him? Why had nobody come? Harry looked around him, the rag he was wearing were whipping about him in some unexplainable wind, his hair wrapped around his arms and neck from the force. He wanted help, he needed help. Anybody, if anybody would just help him!

He kept screaming this thought in his mind, calling, begging for help. He was so afraid. He had been composed up to this point but as the hours crept by his fear had grown—what were they going to do to him that made them so confident. A torrent grew around him as his fear increased and now a cyclone was forming around him. With his eyes screwed shut, Harry realized this was his other energy—the one his father refused to explain.

He was so scared of what they were going to do, he wanted to die rather than betray his country. The eye of the storm grew, causing the vortex to spread outwards toward the walls, **cracking** the walls.

'I'm coming,' Harry opened his eyes in shock. That felt like his father's wild energy, but it was flaring in Morse code.

'Dad' his energy screamed back, the rapid winds around him refused to falter despite the sudden hope rising in his chest.

'How many?' his father's energy asked back, how many what? Then it clicked. Clenching his eyes closed and forcing his way past the fear, and pain, and delirium, Harry counted the number of ninja in the building.

'Thirty, might be in basement,' Harry coded back, he felt weak now, his head was heavy. No, he had to focus! Brining in the natural energy around him, Harry felt stronger.

"W-What the hell is going on?" that was Ru's voice, the cyclone knocked him back when he tried to enter. No! It couldn't be morning already, it couldn't be!

'Hurry' how long would that violent wind last? Could Harry even sustain it?

…

"I have the coordinates," James's attention kept getting pulled away from the briefing at every slight fluctuation in his son's magic. The fact that he had feel his son's magic in Konoha from the boarders of the country… It only proved how powerful a wizard the boy would be. James was a decent wizard himself, but he had to get much closer to the base before he could even hope for his son to feel his magic flare back.

James redirected his attention back to the assembled ANBU. They were five minutes away from the target building. It was a drug trafficking outpost, which made the father's stomach drop. "Operative Karasu believes there are thirty shinobi in there and that he is being held in the lowest level of the building. We," James was pulled away by the sudden plea which screamed from Harry's magic, 'Hurry,' "We don't have much time. We need to kill them all, they've likely seen Karasu's face and they may have extracted information from him," or they were about to.

The air caught in James's lungs, the magic suddenly lulled, fear still hummed in it but the power behind it was faint. "On second thought, leave a few alive, I want to talk to them," All present ANBU knew exactly what that meant, sever their spines and smash their fingers so they couldn't run. Then…then James would fuck with their minds and take every answer from them he desired.

"Head out,"

…

Harry's head felt fuzzy, everything…it was hard to explain. The boy's head lulled backwards, his green eyes were glazed over and lost, "We'll let him enjoy the first hit, after that…"

What were they saying? The boy was panting, his chest felt funny.

Cold fingers grazed his neck, "Shini, not until we have our answers," what was that?

The eight-year-old's head rolled forward. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the tourniquet being untied from his left arm. He had not felt it since the injection.

"We don't want his arm falling off," Shini defended himself, their footsteps moved away from the clueless boy, the distant sound of a heavy metal door closing drifted to his ears. It sounded so far away.

Shini knew wind techniques and easily made a hole in the cyclone's wall. From there, they huddled in the eye of the storm. Ru quickly prepped the drug while Shini prepared the boy's arm. In no time the child was in a drug induced haze.

…

James was losing him, Harry's signature was growing fainter and fainter, he couldn't sense energies like Minato but he could feel magic, strong magic. Bu now…now the boy's magic was dimming. James mercilessly swept through one mind after another, speeding into the mindscape and alerting his victim to the mental intrusion. But it was too late for them, he slit their throats, stabbed their hearts. In short, he killed their minds, rendering each and every one of his victims a useless vegetable.

The ANBU operatives moved silently, like death. None of them alerted the guards and soon the upper level was cleared. There was only one way down and the guards on the other side were quickly killed, but their presence was now known, by a little girl.

James locked eyes on the girl, and her name floated up. James snarled as anger boiled in his veins. "That's Rai, keep her for interrogation," the other ANBU paled behind their masks, but quickly tackled the running child. They cut her back open, and broke her spinal cord before they crushed her hands. They made sure she could still breathe, but she wouldn't' be running away or making jutsu.

Her screams brought her father out. He injured two men but he was quickly subdued and paralyzed. From there they each took a room, James burst open two before he found the interrogation room, and his blood boiled.

A pale lanky man paused in his actions; he was stooped over a child, caressing the poor thing's face. But now his hand retracted and he backed away. The child weakly rolled its head to the side to face the door, unmistakable green eyes shot straight to James's heart. Those were Lily's eyes; those were his **son's** eyes. James saw red.

The rest of the ANBU team had dispatched the remaining ninja in the building, and thankfully only a few operatives were injured. Thankfully, those injuries were minor. However the team was currently gathered around the interrogation room, their eyes were wide with morbid fascination. They had never seen James's summons before, but now they were getting quiet the eyeful.

There were three birds swooping and diving around the deer ANBU. Each one's sharp beaks tore at the skin of the unlucky man James was fighting. They had already devoured the man's eyes while James continued to hack at the ninja's body. The large Hawk summons was currently pecking at exposed brain. The man was dead, and his corpse was being mutilated in the blind rage of their captain.

None wanted to know what the corpse had done to invoke such wrath from the ANBU captain, though each one could hazard a guess. Looking at the state of the boy, clearly drugged, broken, and hanging onto life by string; it made sense he would take his rage out on the nearest enemy. But they were only partly right.

"Shika-san," a fellow ANBU captain called, "He's dead, tend to Operative Karasu," James was frozen, panting over the monstrous, but now dead, man.

"I'll take him home, scout the area and bring the captives back," the other operatives nodded, delegating tasks and leaving the father and son alone. Well…not completely alone, there were two ANBU standing outside the room and keeping watch.

James sent his summons away, and practically crawled toward his son. He took off his blood splattered mask, despite protocol. He wanted to see his son better, and he wanted Harry to see him. He raised the child's head up, and watched those hazy, dilated, green eyes try to focus on him.

"D-daddy?" his voice was broken, hoarse from screaming and his words were slurred. James just nodded and gently cupped is son's bruised and bloody face. Harry hadn't called him that since he started teaching him legilimency and occlumency.

"I feel weird," Harry mumbled. His breathing was shallow and his mind uncomprehending.

"I know," James whispered, before snapping himself out of his current trance. He grabbed the old emergency potion's kit from his "bottomless bag." He was never happier that Lily spent two days putting a preserving charm on the kit.

With shaking hands, James pulled out a bottle of Skele-Gro. Though Harry did not need to regrow bones—and nails were made of the same thing as hair—the potion did help to repair broken bones when diluted correctly. James quickly set his son's limbs in the correct order. He looked around him before he began mumbling spell after spell to keep the limbs from moving and thus defeating the whole point behind this. Harry was too high to notice the stick in James's hand, which only made the father want to hack up the body in corner more. Once done setting the bones, he stowed his wand up his sleeve.

Trembling, he brought a beaker of the diluted smoking liquid to his son's chapped and bleeding lips, "You need to drink this, it will help you heal." Harry just nodded, and sipped at the potion. He didn't even gag or cough it up; perhaps he was too numb to feel the burning which accompanied the administration of the potion?

James quickly screwed the cap back on the Skele-gro before he pulled out a nutrient potion. They had given the boy the bare minimum when it came to IV drips, and with the stress on the boy's body… Harry obediently swallowed potion after potion. When he was through, Harry had taken more potions than James would have ever wanted him to take in one sitting. Harry had several doses of a blood replenishing potion, a fever breaking draught, a burn cure, and two neutralizing potions when James realized Harry as having a bad reaction to one of the blood replenishing potions he used. He was pumped full of unnatural mixtures, the majority being of magical origin.

"My mouth feels funny," Harry mumbled as his head slumped forward. When he was released from the accursed chains, thank you _Alohamora_, he fell against his father's chest. His arms were set in a position and no matter how hard Harry tried he could not shift the angle they were spelled at. Too tired and out of it to care, Harry lost consciousness.

"Thank _Merlin_," James whispered toward the ceiling in of the interrogation room, the guards poked their heads in at the strange word, who did he thank? "Let's get you home," he whispered softly to the sleeping boy. With an absentminded wave of his concealed wand, every bottle, kit, and bag were in their rightful state. The two ANBU standing watch had their mouths wide open, how did James do that?

With mask set in place and child in his arms, James left the gory room. The two ANBU were dismissed to report in while James made it outside and summoned the boss of his summons. All deities have mercy on the next fool who tries to take Harry away from James.

…

"mmm?" James smiled down at his waking son. The air felt blissful, almost like riding a broom again. "My body feels like splinters," Harry murmured against his father's chest

"That's the medicine working," after a pause, James added, "Does it hurt?" if Harry's face wasn't so swollen, the boy might have furrowed his brow in thought.

"I feel funny,"

"I know," James curled his arms tighter around his son. This was all the more reason why his son needed to be strong, why they both did. Harry was his only thing left in the world, and he wouldn't let anything take that from him, especially not drugs.

"How are we in the sky?" the boy was deadweight against James's chest.

"We're on the bird boss summons," Harry blearily looked below him, all he saw was red and orange, "It's a phoenix, a fire bird," James explained as soon as the question popped into his son's muddled mind.

"Is the hatchling being jostled too much?" James nearly forgot that this summons could talk.

"He's too drugged to feel anything if he was," the bird could feel the underlying hate in her human's voice.

"Drugged?" Harry mumbled before succumbing to sleep yet again. His body was no longer running on adrenaline, thus it was crashing fast.

"It's alright, just sleep," James whispered into his son's ear, "I'll keep your safe,"

…

Ibiki shook his head from his place behind the one way mirror. A little girl, a nine-year-old girl, would be tortured soon. The scared man was just relieved that Yamanaka would extract information first before James went in there.

James was twitching in mixed parts anticipation and agitation beside Ibiki. They refused to let him interrogate the girl. The Council claimed that he might fabricate evidence, using what he read in her mind, in an attempt to save his son from further defector claims. It was infuriating but that was how the Council wanted to play.

James's eyes flashed in a sadistic enjoyment for the mind tricks he would soon play on little Rai. Why should he make her a vegetable when he could trap her in her own mind? Like the Longbottoms, poor sweet and simple Longbottoms! Rai would end up just like them.

A dark rumbling began at the back of his throat, which sent shivers down Ibiki's spine. He did not want to know what the ANBU had thought of or what expression lurked behind his porcelain mask.

A man in his late twenties with pale blonde hair entered the room where a pale and fearful girl sat strapped to a chair. Why she was strapped the man was not sure, it was not as if she could run away. He pitied the girl, and he would pity her more if what the evidence they retrieved from that building was true.

Clearing his mind, the head of the Yamanaka clan prepared himself for his following technique.

…

Harry blinked his eyes open, the sneaking light from under the window curtains made the room feel too bright. His head was reeling from the brightness and there was a strange pounding at the back of his mind. He was very confused at the moment, for he did not recall there being real light in the interrogation room, just a harsh electrical synthesis.

Now that he thought about it, he did not recall ever laying in a bed while he was in that drug trafficking center. In fact, he never felt this warm or safe while he had been there. Forcing himself to open his eyes fully, he found himself in a bleached white room with a bowl of fruit resting on the bedside table.

Hospital.

He was in a hospital.

How had he gotten here? He really did not remember much after they stuck him with that needle. Everything was gray and vague. But he could have sworn he saw his father in blood splattered clothes. … Then again, he also remembered flying through the air on a giant red bird, which was impossible, right? If shinobi could fly it would be horribly taken advantage of.

His head felt like it was split open and every little sound was like a yell, even the muffled voices on the other side of the door. He also felt really weird. His chest was itching, along with his neck, and it felt too warm in the hospital! The shouting whispers outside his door were getting louder, and Harry just knew it was Rai or Shini coming back to torture him. He couldn't breathe as he watched the door handle turn slowly. His chest was constricted painfully and he felt horribly sick.

A blind panic consumed him and he began to thrash about, but he soon realized that his limbs would not change from the position he awoke with them in.

There was some ninja, whom Harry did not recognize, walking into the room. He had a syringe in his hand. The panic mounted, Shini and Ru must have sent someone else! A pitiful and fearful scream bubbled up from Harry's throat and hung in the air. The ninja paused in his advance.

"It's just a sedative. Operative Karasu, you're having a panic attack, which is perfectly normal considering the situation from which you just came,"

The medic's words did not placate the raven haired child, if his wide green eyes, which watched the syringe with fear and distrust, were anything to go off.

"So be it, but try to calm down your breathing, Operative," the medic turned and left the still panicked child.

…

James laughed as he watched the poor little girl wander lost in her own mind. She found one exit and began to pound against the surface of her mind. When no entrance appeared, she sobbed for mercy, for forgiveness. Within the next hour she would be forever stuck in her mind.

James leaned against one of the walls in Rai's mind while he began to leisurely peruse her memories. She was already found guilty; she already confirmed what the tapes, which they found in the observation room next to the interrogation room, screamed. Harry's name had been cleared, and there were very few—even on the Council—that still believed him to be a defector.

"I see you got the brat, Rai-chan" James knew that voice! Glaring at the memory before him, he noticed a familiar bear mask.

"Yes Kuma-san. Soon Konoha will fall!" B-but Kuma had memories supporting his story! As James continued to watch the memory he witnessed the man turn his back to her and let her sneak up on him to incapacitate him.

James's whole body burned with a fierce anger, yet he was deadly calm. His whole being was perfectly still, one would have thought him made of stone.

Retracting his mind from the girl's, he left the observation room slowly, not even bothering to answer Ibiki's electronic voice as he yelled at him over the intercom.

He just strolled out of the T & I department and headed for the ANBU headquarters. His mind had shut off, there was nothing, nothing going through his mind but the memory he had just witnessed.

His peers regarded him warily, and soon found themselves moving several meters out of their individual paths to avoid him. There was something very wrong with him, something that unnerved all who beheld him.

Once he made the long walk to the headquarters, James went straight to the rotations schedule and smiled behind his mask when he saw that Kuma was on patrol duty that night.

Focusing on the image of the Hokage's office, James apparated into the room and bowed slowly.

There was a Councilmember in the room but James ignored the elderly person's presence in favor of the Hokage.

"Operative Kuma was in on the kidnapping, I have the memory from Rai, right here," he tapped his temple, his voice was more dead than usual. "My son needn't have gone through all of that if I had interrogated Operative Kuma properly," a choking sound broke from the wizard's mouth. Soon more choked sounds came forth until it became clear that the noise was mirthless and crazed laughter bubbling out of the ANBU operative.

The Hokage nodded grimly, his hand touching a file on his desk. He wondered how long until James discovered this, at least the man came to him first before seeking out Kuma…

The man was too far gone in his laughter to have noticed the Hokage's lack of surprise. One might liken James to Bellatrix Lestrange, the way he was cackling. James threw his head back as his laughter increased. His whole body shook and if not for his mask, one would have seen a maddened glint in his lifeless brown eyes.

If he had just gone with his instincts and interrogated that damn bear ANBU, Harry would not have…would not have been subjected to torture, drugs and Merlin knew what else! Oh Merlin, what if that man had done something to Harry, something all kunoichi were at risk of having done to them.

James felt as if he would be sick, but he could not stop laughing, even as bile crawled up his throat.

"I'm going to" James gasped out between bouts of hysterical laughter, "Kill Kuma!"

The old Hokage saw this coming, and he could see the conflict clearly through the way the young wizard's body tensed and shook. Before James could apparate off, Sarutobi quickly sent him into a deep sleep thanks to a powerful genjutsu. The dignified ANBU operative keeled backwards with one last laugh on his lips before lying motionless and silent on the carpeted floor.

Waving in an ANBU operative on standby, the Hokage gave his orders, "Send Operative Kuma to Ibiki for an interrogation assessment. However, make sure Mitarashi Anko is present, she is to show Operative Kuma exactly what traitors get."

The ANBU operative bowed before leaving to complete his orders, James lay forgotten on the floor next to a shocked Councilmember.

"What is Konoha coming to?" the elderly Councilman asked in a shaky voice as he regarded the Hokage with large eyes.

"I'm not sure but all will be well soon," the eldest Sarutobi sighed tiredly and rubbed his face. Perhaps he should call another ANBU operative to take James to the hospital, or the psych evaluation center. Recalling the maddened laughter which had erupted from the stoic wizard, Sarutobi opted for the latter option. He'd make sure James got to see Kuma get his just deserts, and perhaps then the man wouldn't go on a murderous rampage.

…

He felt so weird, so warm, so… he couldn't think. What was wrong with him?! Screaming and crying in frustration, Harry howled at his restraints. His bones had healed days ago, but since then he had been feeling weird. The strange, indescribable feeling continued to mount. He didn't know what it was, but there was this sort of itch, this burning, this strange wanting.

Whimpering in defeat the young boy slumped into the bed. He didn't understand what he wanted, or what was going on. He couldn't stop shaking either!

While his bones were still fixing themselves, he had a few visits from Naruto and Kakashi. Naruto had been so happy to see Harry and he had gone on and on about what they had done in his absence. The little two-year-old also exclaimed countless times that he loved and missed his big brother. Kakashi just hugged Harry tightly, careful of his mending ribs.

But since the weird feeling began…only James and doctors came to him.

Harry knew now that this was a Konoha hospital; it took a visit from Naruto and Kakashi to see that. However, the doctors still made him wary, and syringes threw him into a panic. He hated doctors, especially now.

"Son…?" Harry turned his head to toward the window; his father was crouched on the ledge.

James's chest constricted at the pitiful and confused green eyes which regarded him blearily. Sweat matted Harry's long hair, and made it stick to his neck and cheeks uncomfortably. James was never so happy for Anko's ruthlessness, for Kuma was responsible for his son's state…

The boy sobbed into his pillow once he broke eye contact, the strange feeling refused to leave him!

James entered the room fully and moved to sit by his son. Harry flinched and curled in on himself as best as he could in his restraints. Frowning behind his mask, James brushed away the sweat soaked locks sticking to his son's face.

"I don't like this!" Harry whined, shaking fearfully with tears slipping down his face.

Swallowing thickly, James removed his mask and placed it on the bedside table. He gave a grim, slight smile. "Just a few more days and it will be like it never happened," there was a strange quiver to James's voice as he gently stroked his son's face, and wiped at his tears.

"Daddy," the fear of this "nameless" affliction was deteriorating Harry's mind to nonsense. "Please!" James clenched his eyes shut and brought his son to his chest. He kissed the top of Harry's head several times, while he began to sway the boy back and forth. Harry continued to plea, uncertain what he was pleading for but pleading none the less.

For hours they were like that, James holding tightly to a sobbing and thrashing eight-year-old while James kissed the top of his head. It was only after Harry passed out from exhaustion, that James let go.

Standing up, James quickly brushed at a strange wetness on his face. He looked away from his son in shame, shame from crying and not being strong for Harry. Breathing deeply to compose his person, James placed his mask back on and left the room via the door.

As soon as the door was closed behind him, Kakashi was before James with a scared Naruto on his hip.

"Not today," James whispered, shaking his head gravely, "He wouldn't want you to see him in such a state and you wouldn't want to see him this way either," Kakashi nodded stiffly, shifting a now crying Naruto.

"I want Nii," the little boy sobbed into his eldest brother's chest.

"In a few more days you will have your "Nii" back," Naruto shrunk back at the tone with which James spoke. The ANBU operative had not meant to sound so harsh or … or rude, but he was annoyed and frustrated. James was frustrated that they would get to see his son every day, while he would only see him for meetings or training. James was jealous that he no longer had his son, that he could no longer witness the boy sleeping peacefully, or see him waking up.

James apparated back to his empty home after saying his piece, from there he was taken by memories; memories of the short time he had in Godric's Hallow. He and Lily would just stand in the nursery doorway and watch Harry sleep; whole nights they would stay like that, reveling in the wonder before them. They created Harry, they made this being together, and it was living. Nothing was more magical or more magnificent.

Then Harry would wake up, sometimes crying but other times he would rub his little eyes with his pudgy fists. James choked on a sob as he thought of all the ways Harry woke up. He had kept up with his and Lily's tradition when he could. He often felt like he was keeping tabs on Harry for her when he did this, but he could no longer watch his son sleep and wake, what with Harry's barriers around his new flat.

James flopped down onto his bed and set his mask on the other side of the bed. Snuggling his face into his pillow he let tears fall and collect on the surface below him.

With a shaking hand, James took out his most precious possession, "Lily, what do I do?" he asked brokenly as he tilted his head away from the pillow to regard his smiling wife. Lily just looked back down at her book, caught in a short film that was on constant repeat.

"He's so afraid and confused, and it's my entire fault," he whispered thickly. Perhaps if he was less distraught he would have spoken English, but in his distress he continued to speak his first language. "If I had just gone with my gut feeling, Harry wouldn't have been tortured or drugged. Some Gryffindor I am," James cried silently into his pillow, Lily's picture was pressed tightly to his bone armor. "I couldn't protect him and he couldn't protect himself," James whispered pitifully.

Would he ever be able to protect his son?

…

Withdrawal. That was what Harry had gone through, at least, according to the medics. They said his captors gave him a very strong and addictive narcotic, one which his young body had readily accepted and wanted more of.

Harry felt so betrayed, betrayed by his own body. How could he trust it to continue to work the way it was supposed to?

The doctors tried to give him different shots, but Harry became panicked every time they came near him with those syringes. How could his body want something from one of those things when his mind screamed that they were danger?

Harry sighed in his bed. The medics had just left with full syringes, for if they had succeeded in administering the concoction, Harry would have been in too much of a panic to be aided by the drugs. James now entered through the doorway. A file was in his hands and a slight frown was in place. For once he did not wear his ANBU garb; perhaps it was his day off?

"Father," Harry addressed with a slight nod.

"Son," James acknowledged while continuing to peruse the file. "You've developed trypanophobia?" it was a statement, to which Harry shrugged.

"That's what the medics were saying," James nodded absentmindedly to his son's deadpan response.

"Karasu," the father sat beside his son, his doe brown eyes taking on a serious edge, rather than their usual dead appearance.

When James did not continue, Harry raised an eyebrow, "Yes, Father?"

"Would you want to forget about what happened?"

Why was his father ask this? The eight-year-old boy's brow furrowed in wonder, while his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Was this a test, a test of his mental strength?

At the lack of response, save for a tightening of the jaw, James continued, "If you could forget anything from that time, would you want to?" still no response, "Any of the torture methods, anything they said, anything that…man might have done to you," James had forced himself to call Harry's torturer a man, and he felt sick. That disgusting thing…he wished Harry would let him in to assess what exactly that man did.

"Why are you asking this?" James could see a wary hope flashing in his son's eyes, but it was as if Harry was afraid to feel that way.

"Because I can take away those memories, and someday you will be able to too, but you cannot tell a soul," James had grasped Harry by the shoulders at this point, and looked him sternly in the eye.

Harry was frozen, but slowly he began to laugh. The laughter was short and raspy, and it screamed of disbelief. But his laughter died as his father continued to look at him with his dead serious expression. "Y-you can take away any memory?" James nodded slowly, keeping his eyes locked on his son's wide green eyes, yet Harry was keeping him out of the boy's mind and he too was keeping Harry out of his mind.

"But you have to let me walk through your memories, or else you could forget much, much more."

Harry's heart skipped a beat at the possibility. He could forget about his body's betrayal! He could forget about how weak he was, "If I wanted to forget about the last week and…and the drug they gave me, could I? Would my body still remember? Would I still be afraid of needles and just not know why?" Harry took a deep breath after he rushed through all of his questions.

"I should be able to, but there is a possibility you will still fear injections. Perhaps the panic would lessen, or you could reason your way out of it without those memories present," James was shocked that his son only wanted to forget about the drug, but nothing else. If James was to hazard a guess, he would assume it had something to do with the lack of control when Harry went through withdrawal and when he was under the drug's effects.

"Oh..." the boy trailed off, looking at his father cautiously, "Okay, please do it," Harry was shaking, caught between the fear of trusting his father with his memories and the inexplicable hope of forgetting what had happened.

"Remember to let me in," James whispered as he pulled out a slender stick from his Jōnin vest. Harry looked at it curiously but worked to let down his mental defenses. "It will feel weird and you may be disoriented when it's over," Harry nodded as he noticed his father begin to wave and twist the stick. _"__Oblivisci__"_

James discovered that the charm could become much more selective through the use of legilimency, thus he was able to fish around his son's mind for the memories he was most concerned about. James saw through a foggy veil the skinny man, whom the father had mutilated, gently caressing his son and whispering promises of pain and exclamations of his beauty and strength. At least that bastard did not do anything more than touch his son's face and speak ill, disgusting words.

James took the memories of the moment just following when the two men broke through Harry's magical wind storm to the moment he rescued his son. James made it appear as if, he rescued Harry just at the moment they were about to inject him with the drug. From there James supplemented Harry's memories with his own memories to take away the drug induced fog around the memory, though he was purposefully vague whenever his wand appeared. After doing so, he jumped to the last few weeks in which Harry had gone through withdrawal. James the old memories to suggest he was going through a fever induced delirium which Naruto could have caught.

Feeling that he had covered most of the tracks, he retracted his mind and dispersed the haunting memories his son wished to be gone. He also included his conversation with Harry a few moments ago, thus the child would not remember his father's wand or the incantation James spoke.

The father tucked away his wand and moved to sit in the chair beside the bed. It only took a few minutes for Harry to come back.

Green eyes looked around blearily, as confusion sparked in them. "Good to see you're awake," Harry nodded slowly, his head was still foggy from the spell, though, to the boy it would feel like the lingering traces of fever induced sleep.

"Is my fever gone? Can I see Naruto?" Harry's voice was soft and thick with fatigue.

James stood up and placed the tips of his fingers against his son's scared forehead, "Yes, your fever's down, I suppose he could come in," James's mouth twitched upward at the corners at his son's partial smile.

"Can I get out of bed?"

James laughed curtly as he retracted his hand, "That's up to the medics, but I'll get the little brat," James turned around with his chest feeling lighter than it had in quite some time.

"Thank you, Father," James's smile grew slightly, though his son could not see it.

"You're welcome," with that, James left the room and was greeted by an anxious fifteen-year-old and a hyper two-year-old.

"You can go in, his fever is gone and so will not pass onto Naruto," James's voice had a pointed edge to it, thus implying that Kakashi was not to speak of the drug incident.

As Kakashi entered the room, he mulled over what James had said. Did he do something to make Harry forget? How could he do that?! However, Kakashi's outrage melted when he saw how happy and carefree Harry looked. When they had visited him the few days before he went into withdrawal, he had not seemed this…this good. Perhaps James wasn't as much of a villain as Kakashi had thought.

…

"Happy Belated Birthday," Harry whispered into Naruto's ear. The two-year-old was sleeping on Kakashi's chest when Harry came back from work—Harry was put back on the patrol schedule until they found him a partner.

He had been released from the hospital two days ago, but only after completing a psych evaluation. Considering what he went through, he was better off than most, psychologically speaking and considering other ANBU operatives. Harry still had mini panic attacks around needles, but without a solid reason as to why he should be afraid, he was sometimes able to calm down, other times he was given a sedative before given the other shot. A voice at the back of his mind told him he was forgetting something, and that there was a very legitimate reason why should be afraid of injections, but he could not bring up any memory to support that feeling.

The first day out of the hospital he was put through an all-day refresher course, one which made sure he would still be able to fulfill his duties as a Konoha ANBU operative. After being cleared for that, Harry was put back on rotation. His second day was occupied by completing an obstacle course his father had started in the woods behind his house. It was great training, but very short with little variance to it.

When Harry asked why there was even an obstacle course behind the house, his father explained that he needed something to occupy himself with when Harry had been kidnapped, thus he created the obstacle course in a week.

But now Harry had a day with Naruto, and he would start it by making up for missing the toddler's birthday.

"Hmmm?" Naruto turned his head to the side, but refused to raise it from his eldest brother's chest. Cerulean eyes were misty from sleep and a tan brow was furrowed in confusion. "It not birthday," the little toddler murmured before nestling his head into Kakashi's chest.

Kakashi began to laugh, which jostled Naruto around, and thus roused the blonde fully from sleep. Naruto sat up on Kakashi's chest, and glared—more like squinted—down at the silver haired teen.

"Why doed Kaka-nii laugh?" Naruto whined indignantly, his arms were folded over his chest and his cheeks were puffed out.

"Belated means late," Kakashi explained for Harry while the eight-year-old began to withdraw a package from his bone armor, "So he's wishing you a happy late birthday," Naruto's eyes grew wide in brief understanding before his whole face lit up and he launched himself into his big brother's arms.

"Thank you Nii," Naruto exclaimed inarticulately against Harry's neck.

"Of course Naruto, I'm sorry I took so long in coming back," Harry whispered while he moved himself backwards from his crouch to be in a sitting position. The little blonde pulled away with a smile on his face, and happily perched himself on his brother's crossed legs.

"There ared shooting stars and I wish for Nii-san!" Naruto's inarticulate speech made it difficult to catch everything he said, but from what Harry gathered, Naruto's wish came true. It was also strange that the boy conjugated were as he had…was that normal for children? It was the second time he did that… He pushed those thoughts aside.

"Then thank you for wishing for my return," Naruto beamed up at Harry; somehow the toddler knew he did right by wishing on that star.

"So that was what you wished for…?" Kakashi was sitting on his bedroll as he pulled on a shirt and once it was fully on, Kakashi gave a large eye-smile, "I guess that means there is magic in the stars,"

"Just like the four guardians!" Naruto rushed out in his excitement, which only made his sentence barely understandable.

"Speaking of them…" Harry held out the package for the boy to open.

Naruto's face split into an even wider smile and his whole person seemed to glow. Pudgy hands began to work with the paper and tape, but with assistance from his guardians, the boy was able to successfully remove the wrappings.

Practically ripping off the top of the box, Naruto peered down, almost reverently, at the objects contained within. There was a small foldable fan, a wooden kunai, a wooden miniature katana, and a miniature staff. On the hilt of the sword was the character for West, while the staff bore the sign of East. South etched on the handle of the fan, leaving the character North for the fake kunai. The toys were not so small that Naruto could choke on them.

"Thank you Nii!" Naruto exclaimed loudly as he launched himself upwards to hug his brother again, however he cradled the box to his chest like it was a child. "Thank you Nii, thank you," Harry gave a partial smile into the mop of blonde hair tucked under his chin.

"You are welcome, Naruto," Kakashi smiled beneath his mask at the scene, but unfortunately he had been requested for a mission and he had to stick to his training schedule if he wanted to become part of ANBU soon.

Leaving silently through the window, Kakashi made his way toward the Memorial Stone to pay his respects before making his way over to the missions' office. Perhaps he could snag breakfast with Naruto and Harry, but he wanted to give them their moment.

…

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked down at scattered papers on his desk in despair. Shit, was all he could think, and he cursed under his breath.

Rubbing his tired face the old man pulled a blank document forward. As much as he hated to admit it, on paper they were the perfect match. It just pained him to do this to the little crow, but after the kidnapping incident, it would be best if the boy had a partner until he gained more experience.

…

Harry jolted awake. He had been taking a nap with Naruto when he felt a presence entering his barriers. Giving the monkey masked ANBU a hard stare, Harry shifted Naruto into a protective position on his lap.

As always, Naruto was quiet and withdrawn. ANBU scared him, all he could remember were the nights of traveling in his Nii's arms with that mean cat mask staring at them every waking second. Naruto, though young, could perceive the danger of the situation, and he could feel the hostility radiating off of the ANBU operative. He was afraid of them and no amount of exposure to ANBU operatives would fix that at this moment in the young blonde's life. Of course, his Nii was not scary because he knew it was Harry.

"You are requested at Headquarters," the eight-year-old simply nodded to Saru, but that did not lessen that fact that Harry had inwardly paled.

What was he to do with Naruto? Kakashi was on a mission for a high profile client, and would be away for at least one more day. What was Harry to do with Naruto? If he had a mission, the boy could not have even one ounce of chakra being used for anything other than the mission, so he could not leave the toddler with a clone.

Maybe…maybe the Hokage could watch Naruto for a little while?

Nervously, the eight-year-old rounded up Naruto's myth book and his Kyuubi toy. Naruto was oblivious of his big brother's inner turmoil and so prattled on about what "the Headquarters" must be like.

"…an' there's super cool kunai an' a-a-a" the blonde made a rather wild gesture with his arms to symbolize either an eruption or a fountain, Harry inferred the latter. "a thing with ramen! Oh, an' there's toads ever-where, an' little Kyu's an' Bunbuns…"

Harry just nodded his head as the blonde continued to talk himself blue. However, with his ANBU clothes on and Naruto's things in hand, Harry picked the blonde back up and began to Hiraishin to the Hokage's office.

Naruto stopped talking during the strange technique which took his breath away at each use. He became dizzy from the new environments he would find himself in for less than the blink of an eye. Naruto just held on tightly to his big brother, for he had been with him during this technique on several previous occasions, it was just hard to get used to.

"Ah, Karasu-kun, Naruto-kun" the Sandaime did not seem the least bit surprised at the blonde and raven's appearance. "I can watch Naruto while you and Kakashi are away on missions," if only the old man knew what those words would cause.

With a thankful smile, Harry set the two-year-old down with his toys, "Naruto, Hokage-sama will be watching you. You must behave and let him get his work done. Kakashi-san should be back soon, okay?" Naruto nodded slowly, his blue eyes darkened in understanding.

"Nii-san leaving?!" the toddler's bottom lip began to tremble and Harry knelt down beside him and set his hands gently against Naruto's shoulders.

"Naruto, it shouldn't be for very long, but I have to go be a ninja right now, okay? I have to go protect Konoha, which in turn will protect you," the words sunk in and the blonde's expression fell into a sad frown of understanding.

"Okay, Nii-san, go be super cool ninja," the little blonde looked up through his bangs at Harry and he gave a supportive expression.

"Thank you Naruto, I will," ruffling Naruto's hair affectionately, Harry turned to bow to the Hokage before using the Hiraishin to get to the ANBU headquarters.

Upon his arrival, he was greeted by the head of the ANBU department. In the senior most ANBU operative's hand was a case file, which he handed to the boy. Not all ANBU missions were given out by the Hokage, though he did decide which missions would go to which operatives, especially if they were high profile. The head of ANBU gave out other missions and assigned patrol rotations—in a way, he supplemented and aided the Hokage in assigning missions.

"Operative Karasu, you will be accompanying Operative Shika on a reconnaissance mission on the boarders of Konoha. There are reports speculating that there are drug trafficking centers out there. You are to verify whether that is the case and report back with information on their next shipments, if there are indeed drug trafficking outposts," Harry bowed as he was dismissed to meet his "team-mate".

It took the child a matter of seconds to extract all of the important information from the case file, meaning he needed to hurry home and grab a few things for the trip. Since they would be close to potentially hostile borders, it was understandable why ANBU were assigned this mission; he just wished he had a different partner.

…

Harry had just finished packing when he felt his father's presence at the living room window. Reinforcing his mental shields, the boy left his room to greet his new partner.

"Father,"

"Son," James's brown eyes took in the small storage scroll his son was pocketing with a critical edge. "Did you pack a blanket, extra weapons, and provisions?"

"Yes, yes, and yes," the two continued to stare at each other, neither yet daring to really move.

"Have you read the—?" Harry cut his father off, and matched his sire's lifeless tone.

"The mission brief, yes," James's jaw muscles tightened slightly, the only sign of his agitation at being interrupted. Harry then rattled off the information in the briefing, "Sato, possible ring leader who travels between ten Konoha outposts regularly. He is notorious in the narcotics ring. The commodity is odorless, has the appearance of crushed jasmine, and it is sold at a premium."

James gave a curt nod of satisfaction. "Very well then," with no more to say, James took off out of the window, and was followed closely by his son.

Harry could only wonder why anyone would place him on a team with his father? It was bound to end in disaster!

…

As might be expected, reaching the potential drug outposts was made into a training exercise. Harry was to keep up with his father, which was becoming much simpler as time went on, but he had to answer any and all questions his father asked while having his mind invaded. How his father could run, focus on the environment around them, **and** invade Harry's mind at the same time, was beyond the eight-year-old. Harry consistently stumbled on roots or ran into trees while trying to keep his father out of his mind.

"You have to be able to bear your mind without thinking, even communicate mentally without leaving your surroundings. It will be crucial to our teamwork if we can communicate without losing sight of our surroundings,"

Harry nodded curtly as he brushed off foliage and dirt from his pants after falling yet again. He understood what his father was asking for, and the man had obviously gone through what he was now doing with Harry, so he knew how difficult a task he was asking…but Harry was still left wondering if his father understood just how difficult it was. If he completely dropped his mental walls his mind went everywhere, and then there was the difficult part of being in the present while letting his mind stretch outwards.

"Again," James stated curtly, "we're nearly to the first outpost," giving an inaudible sigh, Harry prepared his mind while trying to keep half of his mind in the present. The boy doubted he'd ever be able to accomplish this.

…

Mentally exhausted, Harry came up beside his father at the first outpost. Practically melting into the shadows, the two split off to opposite sides of the small town. Unseen, unheard, and not sensed, they slinked around the poor village. They slipped into people's minds like smoke seeping through cracks in a building, and they quickly searched for memories of Sato, their target. One after another, Harry turned up unsuccessful. James was having little luck too.

By nightfall they found no evidence that their target had set foot into this village. Thus they began searching store rooms to see if shipments might have been docked in the village before being sent onto the next stop.

Like wraiths they weaved through stacks of crates, silently opening them to reveal what their labels claimed there to be. When morning broke they left for the next outpost, but James ordered a summon to watch the little village for Sato, just in case he appeared after they had left.

No one in that village had been aware of their presence, and so it went for a full week. James would wear his son's mind down as they traveled from impoverished village to impoverished village. This was all in the hope that they might be able to communicate mentally future battle strategies without being pulled from the present.

As they were nearing the north-eastern boarder of Konoha, they had their first lead. Sato had been in the outpost three days before, and had taken a shipment with him. That night, the two ANBU sneaked inside the well-guarded warehouse to take inventory of the merchandise, even copying shipment logs. As they slipped away from the building through the use of a cloaking jutsu and the shadows, James summoned another summon to take their report back to the village. At least that way another ANBU group could stop the shipments from getting out.

From there, the two raced to overtake their target, for once James did not try to invade his son's mind. Moving along the border, they came to yet another outpost which had never heard of Sato. James sent Harry on as he continued to survey the current village. Perhaps they missed something?

Harry gave a sigh of relief as he raced through the trees toward the next outpost. He was amazed how relieved he felt at the moment. From the very beginning of the mission, Harry was on edge, he felt like he needed to watch his back. Harry wouldn't put it past his father to let an enemy slip through his guard and head for Harry if only to teach the boy some "practical" lesson. Though that was an absurd notion for his father was almost overly protective of him. Harry shook his head, the fact of the matter was that he simply did not trust his father, not really. He knew his father would protect him until his last breath but…but he didn't trust him with his mind, his feelings, his fears, and that spilled over into not trusting him to protect him in a fight—as irrational as it was.

Harry sighed as he closed his eyes briefly while jumping confidently from one tree limb to the next. In the momentary darkness he could see a flash of chakra a few kilometers ahead, one which had the underlying sense of Konoha. Furrowing his brow, Harry began to run without chakra. The tacking of his sandals against the tree bark blended in with the night noises of the forest.

After four or so minutes of running, he was practically on top of the chakra source.

Peering down through the foliage, Harry was surprised by what he found. Sato! Sato was walking unhurriedly below Harry. What was he supposed to do? It was just a recon mission, he wasn't supposed to act just observe.

Without much thought, Harry kept a few paces back from his target and in the shadow of the trees. The boy timed his footfalls with his targets, just in case the slight tap of his shoes could be heard by the drug dealer below him.

The young ANBU took everything in about Sato: the man's raggedy appearance, his strong jaw, narrow lips, thin nose, and the man's cold and glittering black eyes. He noted the man's slight favor for his right leg, perhaps it was a habit from a past injury to his left leg?

Harry did not invade the man's mind, lest he make his presence known. Though the boy sorely wished he could keeping moving while letting his mind enter another's. What a valuable skill his father was trying to teach him!

The eight-year-old shocked his young self by wishing for his father's presence. James would surely know what to do, but how was Harry to communicate without alerting Sato? If he made a clone, there was a chance the smoke and chakra expulsion would be seen or felt…

Harry suddenly remembered when he had been panicked just before his father rescued him, he had flared that second energy. What if Harry did that now? It took him a moment to bring forth the second energy, which caused the air to pick up around him; but other than a cursory look, Sato paid it no mind.

Quickly the boy flared the second energy in Morse, which thankfully did not show in the wind around him. "Found target," he coded in his energy.

James paused in his jump from one shadowed roof to another at the flare of magic. Summoning another summon, James wrote down the coordinates his son's magic was coming from and gave it to the bird. "Bring that to the ANBU headquarters," the bird inclined its head slightly before speeding off for Konoha.

James shifted in his crouched position toward the direction his son's magic was coming from. "I'm coming" he flared back, as he began to follow the steady flow of magic fifteen kilometers away.

Harry exhaled slowly in slight relief. He had no idea what to do in this situation, for he had only joined ANBU a few months ago, he had no experience with these types of missions. Harry he kept his second energy flowing slightly to help his father track him down.

The wind whistled past him, thus wrapping his hair around his neck and arms. The target paused mid-step from the gust of air. His arms circled around him and Sato pulled his jacket tighter about him. After all, it was fall, and the wind during these months could be bitterly cold, even in Fire Country. The man had no reason to believe someone was causing the wind, and Harry himself was also unsure whether that gust had been him, nature, or a combination of the two.

Harry closed his eyes briefly to gauge how far back his father was. He was at least ten kilometers. Opening his eyes, Harry could see their target still thrum with chakra, and as he continued to follow Sato the brightness dulled but the boy could still see his chakra. He was getting better and better at seeing energies. Every day and in every way, getting better and better, or so he hoped that was the case.

His sensing had improved over the years, and he was beginning to find ways of training this ability effectively and efficiently. His seals were becoming stronger and easier to use when he combined his raw energy to them, and he was only able to do that by sensing the energies. In fact, he was finding new ways to mix his energies to create new techniques. His cousin must have been able to do the same, hence why he was so creative with seals.

The eight-year-old was pulled from his reveries by his father's now chakra-less approach. They briefly met gazes and James spoke with his son "we follow him and wait for other operatives to come and take care of him."

Harry was shocked, though he did not outwardly express this fact. His father had communicated with Harry in his mind scape, and the boy had continued to follow their target without falling or revealing his position. Perhaps it was possible to do this, but Harry feared to attempt this again, lest he be unsuccessful. James seemed to be thinking the same thing for he moved to the other side of the target and did not invade his son's mind again for the remainder of the mission.

By the time they reached their next outpost their mission was complete, ANBU were waiting for Sato and quickly dispatched him while rounding up the narcotic shipments. Said shipments were discovered from the logs James sent back to Konoha. It took a quick glance from the head ANBU operative to figure out which outposts were part of the drug dealer's operation.

Relieved, the two ANBU raced back to Konoha…well, they tried to but Harry stumbled often from his father's attempts at holding mental conferences with his son as they traveled back to the village. By the time they stepped through the gates, Harry looked as if he had been attacked by shrubberies.

Harry nodded to his father before closing his eyes and sensing the world around him. James went on to apparate to the Hokage and report in—seeing as it was now early morning and the old man should be in his office.

Harry smiled his partial smile when he recognized Kakashi and Naruto's signatures near the memorial stone. Harry raced off toward them without caring that he was still in his ANBU garb, he wanted to see his family, he need that comfort after a week with his father.

Kakashi was staring at the stone, lost in thought until the blonde in his arms began to squirm, "Nii!" the two-year-old mumbled excitedly, appearing to have just woken from sleep. Kakashi furrowed his brow and looked about until he saw Harry at the edge of the clearing, making his way silently toward them.

"Naruto, how did you know Karasu was there?"

Blue eyes looked up at one cobalt eye in confusion and blinked several times. "I felt Nii," Naruto murmured with his tan brow scrunched up.

"Hmm….?" Harry looked at his two confused family members, and pulled his mask back to look at them better. "What's wrong?"

"Naruto says he felt your approach," green eyes were quick to zero in on the bewildered blue eyes.

"Well, Nii is all 'round home, but we not in home, and I saw Nii," Naruto stated as if this was the most natural thing, though Harry did his best to decipher the boy's quick childish speech.

"He can sense energies too…" Kakashi stated slowly in realization as he turned to look at Harry who was looking back at him. "What is with you Namikaze being able to do that?!" Kakashi asked incredulously.

Naruto giggled at his eldest brother's tone, and clasped his hands together at the comically narrowed right eye. Harry took the toddler from his friend and held the still giggling boy on his hip. "I don't know…" Harry trailed off, his eyes were filled with concern and his brow was furrowed slightly with his thought.

Why was it that they could sense energies yet his father could not for the life of him? Naruto remained oblivious to his guardians' concern and began to prattle on about what he wanted to do that day.

What should they do with this new development? Should they begin teaching Naruto how to harness this ability? Should they let the skill develop on its own? What were the repercussions of Naruto acquiring this gift? How had this even happened?

The makeshift family left for their apartment and breakfast. They decided to put such distressing thoughts off for the time being.

…

Harry coughed up blood. One of his arms was securely wrapped around his cracked ribs. He staggered to his feet to face his opponent but he was gone. Harry closed his eyes for a second, which was long enough to discover his opponent was below him! Swallowing his startled cry, Harry used the hiraishin to perch himself upon a tree. James erupted up from the ground; his lips were quirked upwards in appraisal for his son's thinking. But alas! It was in that brief moment in which they locked eyes that James placed Harry under a genjutsu.

Harry felt blood gurgle past his lips. His father had stabbed him! He hadn't seen him move, but then it dawned on Harry, he was made to believe his father was still smiling at him, when he was actually coming at him with a knife.

"Karasu, you must not be deceived by genjutsu, your mind is naturally susceptible to them but our training should be making you aware of their presence," Shika chided his son, as set to work forcing a healing potion down his son's throat. Harry gagged slightly but forced his throat muscles to work the way they ought to. He knew his father wouldn't poison him when he was already bleeding out.

Harry had a fist in his stomach to staunch his hemorrhaging, but James grabbed his wrist and pulled slightly to signify that Harry must let go. Grimacing, Harry pulled his hand out of the wound, and was quickly shocked by the rapidly mending tissues. He looked toward his father who remained stoic.

"What did you give me?" there was no accusation in his words despite the harsh edge.

"It is something which accelerates the body's healing process," James replied vaguely, as he helped his son stand up.

"But that's impossible, how can a liquid act as a jutsu?" James said nothing, but only gestured for his son to move back to the practice felid.

Harry did not like this one bit. How can he trust his father when he would not trust Harry with even the most simple of things? This was supposedly part of their teamwork building, but it felt more like an opportunity for his father to train him relentlessly. Harry had already been admitted into the hospital three times because of sparring; today would have been a fourth had his father not shoved that sickly concoction down his throat. They were between missions at the moment, which for some reason was all the reason James needed to torment his son with training.

When would be their next mission, he needed a reprieve from this!

…

Throughout the winter Harry and James were given work at the T & I department, which was a wonderful change of pace for Harry. During the fall when they would take recon missions, James would train Harry brutally between missions, but now that they were on call almost constantly during the winter, they had lighter trainings on their breaks. By lighter, of course, Harry meant that they did less sparring and more physical and speed training. But with winter passing onto spring more missions came up which suited their skills.

It seemed they would work in T & I for a week before being sent on a reconnaissance mission, after which they would have a week of training before the cycle continued. It was that week of training that Harry received most of his injuries and hospitalizations. Occasionally he would be admitted after completing a mission where on the way back home his father trained his mind too cruelly and the eight-year-old needed time to heal.

But it was thanks to such training that Harry began to understand how to communicate with his father without completely leaving the world around him. He could not do it fully for he did not trust his father with his mind. He just did not feel comfortable with letting his father in. Harry realized quickly, that to have a mental conversation was to open one's mind fully to the other, so that ideas could be expressed smoothly between one another, but Harry could never trust James to not exploit his bared mind.

Thankfully their routine was broken when Harry was sent on a solo mission. The boy was to retrieve a package of great importance from Kiri. Since his father was required at the interrogation building, thus Harry was sent without his partner.

It was a simple journey to Kiri, scenic, and quiet but a great way to test his chakra control while sneaking discreetly across the ocean. This was a hush-hush operation between the two villages, for there were enemies of Kiri who wanted the package and Kiri was entrusting Konoha with its safety. However, Konoha was on more or less neutral terms with Kiri's enemy, hence ANBU took on the mission.

Harry met with a Kiri ANBU operative on a small island outside of the hidden village at the designated meeting point. Harry dropped down beside the other ANBU who was standing in the shadow of rowdy bar. The noise of the patrons would overpower any of their whisperings.

"A clear night," the Kiri-nin stated quietly while one hand flashed through a series of signs Harry had memorized before leaving.

"Yes," Harry replied as he signed back the correct hand signs, "Though Springtime is a fickle season."

"Indeed," the other ANBU operative replied, as he went through a few more hand signs, "A storm may rage or snow may fall…"

"Or a heat wave may spread when the winds die down." Harry finished his necessary signs and felt a scroll be pressed into his hand by the other Kiri operative.

"Yes," the man agreed, "But we are fortunate for a mild spring."

"Indeed," Harry replied easily, "A clear night it is."

Harry could practically feel the other man relax beside him and Harry felt relief flood him. The pass off as successful then—they were both who they were supposed to be. Harry smiled behind his mask before he moved down into a crouch to leave. However, it was at that moment a kunai whizzed at them…and it was sizzling.

Harry and the other ANBU both leapt to the side as the kunai exploded. The patrons inside the bar screamed in terror, perhaps some were even dead. Damn it! He couldn't be seen! Though no one should know Harry was from Konoha, there was always the slim chance that his opponent might know what the Konoha ANBU tattoo looked like, and Harry could not take that chance.

He hurried into a nearby forest and withdrew one of his two long knives that acted as swords due to his height and reach. He flitted through the trees like a shadow and briefly closed his eyes to get a read on where his opponents might be.

He felt six chakra signatures that had the underlying chakra of Iwa, and one chakra that felt like Kiri. So seven against two? No…the Kiri ANBU was already fleeing for Kirigakure. Either that condemned Harry as the sole carrier of the package or it could be assumed that the exchange had been interrupted. Based on the fact that only one of the seven went after the Kiri operative, it could be assumed they were pretty confident Harry had the scroll.

Off of this island, Harry would be exposed and he didn't think he could swim all the way back to the mainland, and he was also horrible with genjustu. Harry stilled in the boughs of some trees. What was he going to do? He still had the scroll in one hand, he had to do something with it…

The boy closed his eyes again and felt around him for the signatures. They were searching the forest now and it might not be long until they found him…

Harry quickly pulled out two storage scrolls. One of the scrolls he sealed the package in, but he used fuinjutsu and his other chakra to ensure that only by his blood and will would open the seal. He stored this scroll in his vest. The other storage scroll he rigged with exploding tags, and put a seal on it to recognize his chakra and thus not trigger the tags should he open. Harry also tucked that scroll into his vest.

He moved up higher into the trees and peered around him. He knew they were close… He closed his eyes again sought out the other energies, and he found one just above him. He could feel the shift in the air as the ninja above him began to throw something. Shooting his eyes open, Harry dived to the side and with his free hand threw a senbon back at his opponent.

Using chakra he stuck to another tree and saw a shadowy figure move out of the way of the senbon. He also heard a peculiar bird call and winced, that was likely their signal. He threw another senbon before having to leap out of the way a stone spike. It was so dark beneath the trees and he little bit of moonlight that filtered through the leaves did little to illuminate the area, but then again, Harry was shinobi of Konoha the village hidden in the leaves.

He smiled slightly behind his mask as he used the hirashin to disappear from his opponent and land in the boughs above him or her. He hid his chakra and watched as the Iwa-nin look around in alarm. Harry saw two more shadowy figures enter the area. He briefly closed his eyes and felt the other three were behind him but still a little ways off. He could take these three out, he hoped.

Harry quickly threw three senbon at one of the shadowy Iwa-nin. The senbon were coated in a poison that weakened his opponents, if they got enough of the poison in their system they would fall unconscious. As long he hit his opponents they'd be out. Immediately after he threw those three he threw three more at other nin before he dropped down behind the Iwa-nin that had initially attacked him. All of these actions took place within the span of a few seconds but these were experienced shinobi.

The boy may not have hit the two shinobi he threw senbon at but he was able to quickly jab the first Iwa-nin in the neck, thus rendering him unconscious. The other shinobi had deduced his trajectory and were now running through hand sighs. It would take them a moment to complete their seals so Harry sheathed his knife and threw four senbon at each of them before throwing two more to either side of the shinobi—should they decide to doge to the side.

Though Harry was proficient with his swords, he did not want to get in close range for there was the chance that they might see his ANBU tattoo and possibly know which country he was from. He really needed to invest in the long sleeved ANBU shirts.

Harry moved to the left as the shinobi dodged to the side to avoid the majority of his senbon, but a few managed to stick. Good! However, the eight-year-old had to quickly flicker out of existence for dodge the incoming earth attacks.

Unfortunately, the boy had not been keeping track of the other three ninja and was quickly blindsided when he had finished his hirashin. Harry flew into a tree after the kick he had been dealt, but he was given no time to recover for when he reached the ground he sank down to his neck before it hardened. He was immobile.

"Don't kill him yet," one voice stated. Harry swallowed thickly. What were they planning? Would they unmask him? Do something else?

"Where's the scroll?" the same voice asked as the shadowed ninja crouched in front of him. Harry remained silent and the voice gave a derisive snort, "Let him up a little but keep his arms in the ground."

Now that the person was so close he could see clearly a blank mask obscuring his opponent's face. Iwa didn't want to be known in this as much as Konoha didn't, it seemed. But that made sense, they were at "peace" after all, and such an incident might entice war. Harry felt the earth shifting as he was raised slightly higher but he still could not move his hands to make seals. He wondered if he could even use the hirashin technique like this?

The opposing ANBU searched his vest and pulled out Harry's different storage scrolls. Thankfully the one that had his supplies had nothing incriminating in it—meaning there was nothing to tie him to Konoha, his gear was standard and could be found anywhere.

He tossed the scrolls to his colleagues while he grabbed Harry's tattooed shoulder. "Hmm…? Is that Konoha's? It looks like a flame." As the man was turning around to look at his colleagues one of the men ANBU operatives opened the rigged seal. Based on the shinobi next to his slow reaction to proceeding blast, Harry deduced both shinobi were the ones he had hit with his senbon.

The other two ANBU had substituted their bodies in time but bits and pieces over the shinobi still hit all of them. The one shinobi caught in the blast radius was thrown back hard into a tree before his body crumpled to the ground unconscious from the collision.

Harry looked wide-eyed in horror as he stared up at the leader of the company. He didn't mean to connect minds but he did and the man was raging in his head. Images flitted past Harry's eyes of the two ninja joking and having fun. The ninja Harry blew up was waving goodbye to some kunoichi and the leader ANBU was joking with him about him settling down… Oh gods, what had Harry done!? But over these images were the man's thoughts screaming how he was going to kill Harry.

Harry forced his walls back up and reeled his mind back into his own. They knew he was Konoha, and they were going to be out for blood now… Harry swallowed back bile as he came to the horrific conclusion that he would have to…he would have to kill them all to keep Konoha from entering another war, and even if he did get away, they would not stop chasing him.

Harry watched, trembling as ANBU in front of him withdrew a kunai. He had to get out…Harry cast his gaze to the side and let his chakra circulate correctly as he willed himself to move to that side via the hirashin. He would have to kill them all… he would have to…

Harry's body flickered out of existence just as the man moved to slit his throat. Harry then unsheathed his swords and struck out while the leader was still in shock. He managed to slash his side before having to dodge another earthen attack courtesy of the two standing Iwa-nin.

Harry quickly twisted around the captain's body and cut into him before he block the attack or substitute himself. The spray of blood hit the eight-year-old in a hot, coppery splatter. Harry used the hirashin again before the two remaining ninja could finish their hand signs. Swallowing his bile, Harry had his arms crossed over his body and he quickly slashed outward, his right-hand knife raked across the shinobi's stomach while his left cut at the ninja's throat. Harry barely dodged the kunai thrown at him, but he didn't dodge the blast of exploding tag attached to it. He was thrown back into a tree from the concussion and almost didn't roll out of the way of the follow earth spike attack.

One of the spikes snagged his leg and left a deep gash but Harry pushed the pain aside and rushed his opponent. He saw the ninja preparing to throw a kunai at him but Harry used the hirashin to move behind the man, at which point he stabbed the shinobi in the back. When the ninja fell off of his knives Harry stayed frozen where he was, panting heavily. He killed… He killed.

There were two more he had to take care of, or could he possibly just take care of the one that lost consciousness from the exploding tag? The other one didn't hear he was Konoha…

Trembling, Harry found his two storage scrolls and picked them up as he came to the unconscious man laying at the base of a scorched tree. He had burns on him. Swallowing, Harry pulled raised his bloody knives and quickly ended the man's life. With shaking limbs, Harry proceeded to pick up his senbon until he came upon the last member of the party.

He should kill him, shouldn't he? That was what his father would do…wasn't it? Harry's hands were trembling too much and his side was beginning to ache from when he was kicked. He could hardly stand any more either, due to the gash on his leg. He just wanted to go home…he wanted to go home. He wanted out of here, he just wanted to see Kakashi, hell he wouldn't mind seeing his father at this point!

With a pop, the boy disappeared from the bloody and blasted forest, and ended up in the backyard of his old home. He was bleeding, crying, and felt horribly sick. His knives fell from his hands as he collapsed to his knees. He threw his mask to the side and began retching. He felt a presence behind him, which caused the boy to throw the kunai in said direction blindly while he continued to sob and be sick. He was just eight, and he had killed so many people…

He began to dry heave, as mucus and tears mixed together and ran down his face. A large warm hand began to rub his back as his heaving lessened. The boy turned around to see his father without his mask. "You disrupted my wards,"

"I…" the boy trailed off sobbing louder, "It smelled so bad, and there were pieces…." The boy fell against his father's chest, and clutched at the vest before him tightly.

James forced his son to look at him before he brought his son into a hug. The first kill… He rocked his son back and forth as he tried to soothe him. "It's okay; it's a rite of passage," the man whispered, "You either kill or be killed," the boy just sobbed louder.

"I feel sick, and…and bad! I'm bad!" Harry began screaming. He knew shinobi had to kill, he knew it was part of their duty, but that didn't make it right, did it?!

"That's remorse, you should feel remorse, I do," the boy looked up at his father, his green eyes were wide, and his bottom lip was trembling. How could his father say that?! Harry never saw him crying or throwing up after missions where he was covered in blood. But what did that matter now, if his father's words were truly hollow, then he would not be able to answer his next question.

"Why?"

"Because it means you're human. You're human if you feel remorse, it makes you good, even if it hurts—it makes it all better," the man whispered, as he placed a hand behind his son's head before resting his cheek atop the boy's raven tresses.

It may have been hours, or it may have been minutes, but eventually the boy's tears subsided, and his shaking ceased. "I still feel… feel bad," the boy whispered against his father's chest. His hands had since loosened from their vice-like grip on the vest.

"Then do something to honor that life," James whispered softly.

"Is that why you plant flowers?" there was a slight twitch at the corner of James's mouth, a sign that he was smiling. Harry always wondered why his father gardened, it seemed so uncharacteristic, but this seemed a likely explanation.

"Perhaps, but what do you want to do to honor that life?" the boy bit his lip in response, at the moment he could think of nothing else but the man he blew to bits from the booby-trapped scroll, and all the people he had cut and stabbed. It was so ugly and destructive; he wanted to create something, something beautiful…

"Can I plant a flower?" James nodded and rose with his son before moving toward the house.

"I'll show you where I keep the seeds."

…

Within a year Harry would have a small beautiful garden growing on the opposite side of the yard from his father's garden. But on the night of his first kill, he planted six seeds to commemorate the Iwa-nin he had killed.

James brought out a trowel and a few bags of seeds; Harry picked lily seeds. James knelt next to his son on the other side of the yard from his flower bed and gently instructed Harry how to plant the seeds. As his son did as he was told the fact that he killed people sank in even more. His shaking lessened, and the tears stopped, but he began to speak numbly as the full reality settle in, "One had someone waiting for him, a precious person. They were people with lives…with friends…"

The boy was honoring the lives he took yet he knew he did something terrible, something he never wanted to tell Naruto about. It was fully hitting home. He was horrible…

James knew how traumatizing it could be killing someone, having done so during his auror training. Not to mention that killing another being tore the soul apart unless one reflected on the death and honored the person's life, Voldemort was a testament to what happened to one when they did not do so... When Harry had planted the seeds and covered them up with dirt, he was helped to his feet.

James guided his still jaded son back to the house. Harry seemed too lost in thought to wash his own hands, thus James stood behind Harry, who was on a stool, and helped clean away the dirt, and blood. His son must have stabbed one of the people he killed, and based on the blood splatters he also sliced into one or two of their arteries. James dropped his head into his son's unruly hair and placed a few kisses. He would go back outside later and retrieve his knives, but for the moment, Harry needed someone.

The acrid scent of burned flesh lingered in the raven tresses, and James could see bits of carnage here and there. Perhaps they were the pieces of the man who died from the explosive decoy. It did not disturb James, he had seen worse; he had come home from missions looking worse. Thanks to Harry's mask, the blood splatter did not mar the eight-year-old's fair skinned face.

James pressed his face once more against his son's scalp, and closed his eyes as he thought of what to do with his catatonic son. His son also had a package to turn into the Hokage before his mission could be deemed complete. Pressing one last kiss, James pulled away to retrieve a towel and dry his son's hands.

"I need you to open that scroll," James stated softly while setting the dry towel down in favor of a wet rag. He then began to gently wipe at the bile and other remnants of sick on his son's face. Harry nodded slowly. His usually vibrant green eyes were a dull sage and unseeing. Harry took the scroll out of his bone armor, and bit his thumb when his father went to rinse the rag of sick.

The scroll appeared in a puff of smoke a milliseconds after he pressed his thumb to the opening of the scroll. James set the rag down to summon one of his birds and ordered it to take to the object to the Hokage with a note that James began to write hurriedly. The crow nodded to its orders and quickly flew with the package and missive to the Hokage's office, it flew high in the clouds to be unnoticed even though it was well into the evening.

James retrieved his medical kit and looked at the openly bleeding gash, he would guess—based on the rock debris in the cut—that it was caused by an earth jutsu. He rinsed and cleaned the gash—Harry barely wincing—before beginning to suture the cut. The fact that Harry was not freaking out at the sight of the needle, which he was marginally less afraid of than shots, was a testament too just how out of it he was. Once he finished with his sutures he began to carefully wrap the wound.

Under any other circumstance, he would have immediately taken his son to the hospital, but Harry did not need doctors at the moment, he needed his father—he needed someone who would understand the emotional pain and trauma he was going through. In the morning he would take Harry to the hospital, but tonight he needed to be emotional support. Killing was an inhuman act, but part of their duty, and an eight-year-old child had killed for his first time. James could only imagine what exactly might be whirling through the boy's mind, and when he did skim over the surface of Harry's mind, it was chaotic and distraught.

James looked up at the boy. Harry was paler than usual, likely from blood loss. James would have to get fluids and sugar in him soon. Judging by the amount of blood accumulated on his clothes, he had not lost too much but it was still a fair amount.

"How about a bath?" Harry nodded dumbly, and was carried to the bathroom.

James turned the bath's tap on before he began to disrobe his jaded son. He was faintly reminded of when he and Lily would give Harry baths as an infant. In an absentminded manner he closed the tap and gently set his son into the warm water. As Harry settled himself in the water as James knelt beside the tub.

"I was eighteen when…when I had to kill someone. My best mate and I drank ourselves into mini comas," James was gingerly pouring water onto his son's head as he spoke, the pieces of human fell into the water below the boy, while said water muddied from the child's days outdoors and reddened from blood. James winced slightly and hoped the wound he had just patched up would be fine until morning, he was no medic…perhaps later he could pull out his potions, but he was beginning to run low and who knew when they would be needed for something more serious. James, like any other ANBU was trained in battlefield, and advanced first aid. He knew the wound was killed and stitched correctly, but he still had his doubts.

"We were in the middle of a war," he continued after a pause, his eyes once more drifting down to Harry's bandaged leg. Perhaps he should have taken the bandages off first?

"Everyone one was," Harry interjected numbly, thinking of the second ninja war. James paused in his motions before he poured more water onto Harry's head.

"I…I didn't grow up here," Harry turned to face his father, his head titled slightly to the side, "Neither did your mother. I would visit Minato during the summers with my parents,"

"Where were you from? Suna?" Inwardly, Harry desperately wished to know, for the Great Toad Sage's words continued to play in his mind behind his barriers. James's mouth twitched upward, while squirted some shampoo into his hands.

"No, there are islands farther out from the mainland. My parents fled there with the first Iwa confrontations, but Aunt Mai fell in love with your uncle," Harry could hear the slight tightness to his father's words, an indication that he was lying. But then again, Harry was supposedly not from this world, and how could James explain that without divulging too much of his well-guarded and feared past?

"We had our own problems, the Bad Man wanted everyone like your mother to…to be wiped off the map," James had just started lathering his son's hair. Harry's still dull emerald eyes looked at James in confusion. "You could think of it like what has been happening in Mizugakure,"

"Mother had a bloodline?" Harry was even more confused now. He only knew of his father's bloodline, and surely he would tell Harry about his mother's abilities.

"No…but it had to do with her blood," James dropped his hands into the muddy water before pulling the plug to drain out the soiled water. "What I'm trying to say," James began while he refilled the tub, "is that I had to kill one of the Bad Man's lackeys. Even though the man did appalling things to people, I felt terrible about what I did, just as you felt. Drinking may not have been the best way to get over it, especially since your mother yelled at me until I thought my head was going to explode," James gave a rather dry laugh before he began to rinse his son's hair out.

"I thought you said you weren't a ninja before we moved to Konoha?" James's mouth twitched at the corners as he raked his hands through Harry's soapy locks. He was half tempted to cut the boy's hair to a suitable length but he refrained.

"You know our second energy?" the boy nodded and perked up slightly, "that island only knew how to use it and they used it to fight," the shampoo was finally out of his son's hair.

"Will you teach me how to use it?" there was a slight shine coming back to Harry's eyes, perhaps talking about these things was helping the boy.

"When you are eleven, your core should be strong enough by then," Harry furrowed his brow while his father pulled him out of the bath and wrapped him in a towel. The eight, almost nine, year-old was going to press the matter but something in the way his father held himself implied that James would speak no further about the second energy.

While James was carrying Harry out of the bathroom, he pulled his wand from his sleeve and waved his it to drain the tub before carry the boy to his bedroom. The boy never noticed the slender piece of wood even as it was stowed back up the man's sleeve.

Harry put his undergarments back on while his father fished out a shirt for the boy to wear; however, everything that Harry left was far too small for him now. With a sigh, James brought one of his own sleeping shirts and pulled it over the boys head. Harry was positively swimming in the shirt, but it would have to do for now. James dared not shrink it lest Harry figure out what exactly that other energy was.

From there, James re-bandaged Harry's leg after cleaning it once more. After words he instructed Harry to sit on the couch in the living room while he busied himself in the kitchen. With the few minutes provided for himself, Harry sorted through his whirling thoughts.

His father had gone through what Harry had, he had felt the same things, but now looking at James…would Harry become as cold as his father? Would he be able to kill someone without batting an eye? And what was all of this with his second energy; what exactly was it? No one on the "mainland" could harness it (unless they were related to Harry and his father), which must mean that is was uniquely a trait from the world Harry originated in. He didn't want to think about this all, it made his head swim, and what about his mother's blood made the Bad Man have to kill her?!

"Son, here," Harry looked up at the steaming mug held out in front of him. Harry accepted the hot drink but sniffed it suspiciously. It smelled sweet; sort of like that dark sweet Hokage-sama gave Naruto once. Chocolate, Harry believed that was its name, usually imported from the southern more tropical areas of the Hidden Countries.

James sat down at the end of the couch, and leaned his back into the juncture where the backrest met the armrest. From there he picked up a now tense Harry, and rested the boy against his chest. "It's called hot chocolate. Another of my good friends from the island made sure we either ate chocolate or drank hot chocolate after a traumatizing experience. He believed it could remedy almost any emotional problem," there was a strange duality to his father's tone. There was an aspect to his father's words that was soft, wistful, even nostalgic, yet at the same time there was a mocking bitterness to his tone. It was like his father could not make up his mind on how to feel about that person's belief in chocolate. Harry only knew that the sweet made Naruto beyond hyper, and thus Kakashi and Harry forbade the eldest Sarutobi from ever giving Naruto another gram of that treat.

"Take sip, it tastes quite good," his father's voice was neutral once more, which strangely relaxed the boy. His father acting emotional was beyond strange, and uncomfortable. Harry still hesitated but took another whiff before trying to discern if this would be another test like when he was a child.

James flinched slightly when he noticed his son checking for poison, he could just imagine what Lily would say to him. Planting a kiss into Harry's hair, James wrapped his free arm tighter around his son. "I did not poison it, I see no point to test your abilities tonight," Harry relaxed slightly at hearing the truth to his father's words.

Tentatively, Harry took a small sip before letting the fluid fall back into the mug. He took a breath to let cool air move over his scalded tongue. There was a slight rumbling against Harry's back, which the boy deduced was his father chuckling.

James leaned over Harry and blew on the surface of his son's hot chocolate. "My parents would always do that for me," James explained slightly, having cast a minor cooling charm through the act of blowing on the drink. He never understood how his hot chocolate or tea became the perfect temperature when his parents blew on it once, until they went over the temperature charms in school. So long as a wand was on hand, one could perform a cooling charm in such a way. "It should be cool enough to drink now," one corner of James's mouth twitched up as he saw his son take another hesitant sip before taking a larger sip.

It was still hot, but not so much that it would hurt Harry, and the drink did taste quite good. But that defied logic, how could one lungful of air blown on the drink cool the steaming liquid to a drinkable temperature. Logically, it would take several puffs of air with stirring to get the drink to cool down even half a degree, and even then, the liquid that was farther down would still be hot. Perhaps it was best not to think on that now; it was making Harry's head spin.

"When I was your age, I would visit your cousin and uncle during the summer. Your uncle taught me some ninja skills, such as wall walking and sneaking. Cousin Minato and I would cause a lot of trouble during the summer," James stated in an apathetic tone before taking a sip from his own hot chocolate.

"Why?" Weren't they afraid of the consequences? Harry could not imagine doing something against what his elders told him, well, unless said elders were the councilmembers or Danzo—but even then, it would be nothing that could cause the village trouble.

"We were bored and had too much energy for simple training to expend. Besides, the pranks we pulled honed our developing skills and gave us real life practice," Harry supposed that made sense, often when he was playing tag with the Gamabunta's boys he felt like it was safe form of training. His endurance and speed increased, along with his hiding and sneaking abilities.

"On the island," Harry heard the lie and mentally changed island to 'the other world', "the two good friends I've mentioned worked with me to prank almost the entire school body,"

"That doesn't seem like you," Harry whispered softly into the mug, all these revelations and thoughts were pushing away the memories of what he had done earlier that evening.

"I was a kid once, I was naïve. I didn't have any duties to protect the island, nor did I have a child to raise," Harry could tell there was something else his father wanted to add, but chose not to. James just pulled Harry closer and dropped his face into his son's hair yet again.

In the silence Harry finished his mug of hot chocolate, but he began to feel the strain of the day's events fully catch up to him. His eyes felt heavy but his mind was still buzzing. His body yearned for sleep but he did not…did not trust his father enough to fall asleep in his presence. Perhaps it was years of surprise training sessions, even during ANBU missions, but Harry did not feel that he could sleep around James.

James pulled his face out of his son's hair, for his eyes were no longer threatening to spill with tears. James felt his mouth twitch slightly when he saw the empty mug, "Would you like more?" he asked while he shifted his son so that his side was leaning against James's chest.

"No thank you," Harry was stiff in his father's loose, one armed hold, which did not escape James's attention. Another thing Lily would have cursed James out for, had she been alive.

"Did you know Minato and I painted the Hokage Mountain?" Harry nodded slightly, shocking James—not that he showed it. "We started at midnight, and by dawn it was finished. It was a great application for wall walking. We also drew on the councilmembers faces one night," Harry's body jerked at the thought, he knew laughter wanted to sprout forth from his mouth, but in his father's presence emotions tended to lead to training, and Harry doubted his body could withstand such treatment.

"There was another time that we snuck into the ANBU headquarters and…"

So the night was passed with James telling Harry stories of the pranks he and Minato had pulled on the citizens and other ninja. He knew from the Hokage that they had done so, but hearing if come from James himself had been something else. It was hard to believe that his father could be carefree and playful, but apparently that was so in his youth before he was tied down by responsibilities. Despite Harry's unease around James, it had been such a nice evening, but as everything good with his father, it did not last.

The next day, after Harry had a medic mend his leg, Harry was put through a slightly improved obstacle course. It seemed his father was bored while he was away on the mission since the outdoor course had expanded slightly. Following the course, Harry was ordered to execute his father's clones, for he mustn't be afraid of killing. Homicide was part of his duty as ANBU.

And Harry learned quickly that to be very true, over the course of the year, for he was assigned mission after mission wherein he needed to kill. These were all solo missions, seeing as he completed his first solo mission better than most would have. But now without a partner, James was resigned to interrogating and the occasional recon mission, which left the twenty-eight-year-old with time on his hands. Thus James began to put more and more effort toward his obstacle course; he even turned his house into training grounds. It was while Harry was gone on a very long mission in Suna that James put expansion charms on the hallways and the various rooms; thus making the rooms larger than the dimensions of the house and all the more dangerous.

What had once been a hastily created obstacle course was quickly becoming a deadly challenge for Harry; one which was slowly filling with genjutsus, and trapdoors. In the absences of his son, James had to find something to occupy him and keep his mind away from his ever-present worries and fears for Harry.

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><p><em><strong>A Suivre<strong>_

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><p><strong>AN: ** After this chapter there is only one more plot necessary mission, which is long, and then Itachi should be introduced….should be. I haven't looked at this part of the fic in at least a year, maybe two years. Don't expect a chapter for some time. Also, I hope the action scene wasn't too dull, they really aren't my forte. I hope you enjoyed ~ with love, depressedchildren


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